Meet the Emus at Monk Park Farm

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Emus are the second tallest living bird after its ratite relative the Ostrich.

Emus are soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds with long necks and legs. They can reach up to 1.9 metres (6.2 ft) in height and can sprint up to 30mph.

They originally come from Australia and love to forage for plants and insects. They can often go weeks without eating and drinking but take in copious amounts of water when the opportunity arises.

The female lays large emerald green eggs that the father sits on and incubates. He will often not eat or drink during this process and often loses a lot of weight.

The eggs take around 8 weeks to hatch. Once the eggs hatch, the young are raised by their father. After 6 months, the emu’s are fully grown. They will stay as a family unit until the next breeding season.

Like most birds, female Emus are called ‘Hens’, male are called ‘Cockerels’ and young are called ‘Chicks’.