Flightless Birds

The Emu, which is common throughout much of inland Australia, can reach up to two metres in height and is the second tallest bird in the world, after the Ostrich. The female Emu’s clutch of around eight to 10 dark-green eggs is incubated by the male, who doesn’t eat or drink for the eight weeks until they hatch. He also cares for and protects the striped grey and brown-black chicks for 18 months, until they can fend for themselves.

The only cassowary species found in Australia is the Southern Cassowary, distinguished by its vivid blue face and neck, long drooping red wattles hanging from the throat, and tall horn-like brown helmet or casque. The Southern Cassowary is found in tropical far north Queensland and is slightly shorter than the Emu but heavier, with females weighing up to 76 kilograms. Like the Emu, the male incubates the blue-green eggs, which usually number three to five. The striped dark brown and white chicks are also cared for by the male.

The Little Penguin or Fairy Penguin, which reaches about 33 centimetres in height, is found around the coast of southern Australia. The Little Penguin spends most of its time foraging at sea, returning just after dusk to rocky burrows near the beach. The female lays two white eggs, incubated by both parents, who also rear the chicks together.