Dad and the Siblings

Ron to the rescue! On seeing my post yesterday my neighbour gave me this photo of a male emu with his chicks; taken last September in the Flinders Ranges.

In this species it is the father who raises the young; a sole parent so to speak.

A female emu mates with her partner, and in about May or June, she lays somewhere between 5 and 20 eggs. She then leaves the nest area and her (short term) partner who incubates the eggs. The eggs hatch in about 8 or 10 weeks. The young emus remain with their father for up to two years. They may stay in the same area or may wander off further afield to find a partner of their own. Emus are sexually mature at about 18 months.