Zoo with Greater rhea | Hof van Eckberge

Not surprisingly, the greater rhea is related to the great ostrich. Not only do they look like them, but they run and look just as confused as the ostrich. This may seem crazy, but is of course very tactical. This is because the sudden feints and wing beats are distracting to enemies. The rheas at Hof van Eckberge are white in color, but you can also encounter them gray or brownish, in which case they are even better sheltered in nature!

General information Greater rhea

Scientific name: Rhea americana

The Greater rhea belongs to the ratites, like its big brother the ostrich. It has large strong running legs and downy plumage. Rhea hens and roosters are difficult to tell apart, generally the rooster is bigger, heavier and it has more black feathers at the bottom of its chest and neck. The rhea is a true omnivore, eating grasses, herbs, insects, small lizards and frogs.

More about the greater rhea

Habitat greater rhea

The rhea is native to Central and South America. There it lives on the Pampas (grassy plains) in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. It is also found on the Cerrado, a savannah-like area in Brazil, with many bushes for shelter.

Appearance greater rhea

Weight	Males and females both grow to about 25 kg.
Age	10 years
Number of toes	3 per leg

Propagation

The rhea hens and roosters are difficult to tell apart, generally the rooster is larger, heavier and it has more black feathers at the base of its chest and neck. The rhea hen reaches her sexual maturity at age two and the rooster at age three.

In the wild, hens live together with 1 rooster and in captivity this is often done as well. Like many bird species, the rhea has courtship behavior, in which the rooster puts on the feathers on his head and starts waving his neck over his back. Both roosters and hens also flap their wings during this process. During courtship, the nandu makes loud and deep sounds that sound like an owl's "hoot. When the hen wants to mate, she seeks out the rooster and lies down in front of him. This is followed by mating. Because of this mating, the hen may lose some of her feathers on her back.

In April the hens start laying their eggs, every 2 to 3 days a light yellow colored egg of 600 grams is laid. Hens can lay 15 to 30 eggs per year; these hatch after 6 weeks. The roosters make a hole in the sand for the nest and the rooster incubates the eggs and takes care of the yellow-brown striped chicks of about 400 grams for the first 6 weeks. When the eggs hatch, something miraculous happens. Not every egg needs to be incubated for the same amount of time. The time required ranges from 25 to 45 days. The first hatched young let out a very specific sound, allowing the young birds in the other eggs to "know" that they must also break out quickly. Within 24 hours all eggs normally hatch, including those that are really much shorter incubated than the first laid. In this way the adult males can take care of a group of young that are the same age and therefore the same size. Here again the food supply for the young is related, this way they do not have to offer food for all kinds of different sizes.

Food in nature:

In the first three days of life, it digests its nutrients from the yolk. After 4 days, the rheas begin eating solid food. The rhea is a true omnivore, eating grasses, herbs, insects, small lizards and frogs.

Food at Hof van Eckberge:

At our place, the rheas are fed ratite pellets, apple, carrot and endive.

Did you know that...?

The rhea cannot fly? Rheas have no flight feathers in their wings, therefore they cannot hold wind to take off.
The rhea can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h while running?
The rhea rooster makes the nests and raises the young?
The rhea rooster keeps its young warm on its back?
It is always wise to keep some distance from the rhea, as it mistakes buttons or jewelry for food, for example.

Greater rhea