Greater Rhea

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South America's largest bird, standing up to 1.5 m tall with fluffy grey-brown plumage and long, powerful legs. Flightless, fast-running, and omnivorous—eating plants, insects, and small vertebrates. Found across open grasslands, pampas, and cerrado from Brazil to Argentina. Males incubate eggs and raise chicks alone.

Physical Description

Measurement	Value	Imperial
Envergadura	120,9 cm	47.6 in
Peso	25250,0 g	890.67 oz

Identificación

Plumaje

Overall gray-brown plumage with loose, shaggy feathers covering the body. Black collar at base of neck in males. Females are paler. Underparts whitish; bare gray neck and head.

Habitat & Range

Open grasslands, pampas, cerrado, and agricultural fields in eastern and central South America. Prefers flat terrain with scattered shrubs. Adapts to cattle ranches and crop fields at low to mid elevations.

🌿 Humedal

Distribución geográfica

Widespread in eastern South American grasslands from northeastern Brazil to Argentina. Resident in the Pampas and Cerrado; does not migrate.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore of South American pampas; eats broad-leafed plants, seeds, fruits, and opportunistically insects and small lizards.

Estado de conservación

Near Threatened

IUCN Red List

Comportamiento y reproducción

Nidificación

Nest type: SC. Incubation: 27-43 days.

Tamaño de la puesta

20-30

Sonido

Canto

Males produce a deep, resonant booming call. Females emit softer, lower contact calls. Courting males call loudly with a 'naaaaao' booming sound to attract multiple females.

Taxonomía

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Aves
Orden	Rheiformes (Ñandúes)
Familia	Rheidae (Ñandúes)
Genus	Rhea
Especies	Rhea americana

Distribution

Greater Rhea has been recorded in 9 countries.

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Presente Not recorded

countries highlighted

🇩🇪 Alemania 🇧🇪 Bélgica 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇫🇷 Francia 🇳🇴 Noruega 🇳🇱 Países Bajos 🇬🇧 Reino Unido 🇺🇦 Ucrania

External Databases

Preguntas frecuentes

What does the Greater Rhea eat?

Herbivore of South American pampas; eats broad-leafed plants, seeds, fruits, and opportunistically insects and small lizards.

Where does the Greater Rhea live?

Open grasslands, pampas, cerrado, and agricultural fields in eastern and central South America. Prefers flat terrain with scattered shrubs. Adapts to cattle ranches and crop fields at low to mid elevations.

Is the Greater Rhea endangered?

The Greater Rhea has a conservation status of Near Threatened.

How does the Greater Rhea nest?

Nest type: SC. Incubation: 27-43 days.

What does the Greater Rhea sound like?

Males produce a deep, resonant booming call. Females emit softer, lower contact calls. Courting males call loudly with a 'naaaaao' booming sound to attract multiple females.

How big is the Greater Rhea?

The Greater Rhea has a wingspan of 120.9 cm, weight of 25250.0 g.

What order and family does the Greater Rhea belong to?

The Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) belongs to the order Rheiformes and the family Rheidae.