Greater Rhea
Place to admire: Animal Plaza
Scientific name: Rhea americana
IUCN-status: Near threatened
Habitat
The Greater Rhea lives from northeast to southeastern Brazil. Its natural vegetation consists of Pampas grasses, campos and open chaco forests.
Diet
The Greater Rhea is an omnivore. This means that this species eats both plant and animal foods.
The plant diet consists of leaves, seeds, roots and fruits. In addition, the Greater Rhea forages on Insects and small vertebrates. For example, this bird species eats Grasshoppers, Lizards, Frogs, small Birds and Snakes.
Natural behavior
The Greater Rhea is a social bird species, but individuals must keep a certain distance from each other. Any violation of getting too close can result in a “head-first” threat. The bird swings its head forward and holds its beak open. At the same time, the Greater Rhea will begin to hiss. Then the bird swings the head back. This causes the neck to assume an S-shape. This threat occurs mainly during the breeding season or while resting.
Social behavior
The Greater Rhea lives in mixed groups consisting of males, females and juveniles. Group size ranges from 5 to 30 birds. During the breeding season, female Greater Rheas split off from the group into smaller groups. Male Greater Rheas become territorial during the breeding season. At the beginning of the breeding season, males hold short fights to fight for a territory of their own for breeding.
Threats
The Greater Rhea has an IUCN status of Near threatened. The population is experiencing a sharp decline due to hunting for meat, for eggs and for the huge export of skins. Thanks to hunting, in certain parts of its natural habitat, the Greater Rhea has already been totally eradicated. Moreover, many grasslands have already been fragmented by agriculture and cattle ranching.