A mob of young emus

Juvenile Emus in Innes National Park

The birding on our recent visit to Innes National Park at the southern tip of Yorke Peninsula was less than exciting. It was blowing a gale, overcast and threatening to rain. The birds were generally keeping a low profile and I don’t blame them.

Emus have a problem keeping low because of their size. As we entered the national park we found a small mob of five juvenile Emus wandering along quite unafraid of our vehicle only metres away. These birds are obviously quite used to cars and buses travelling along the roads in the park because it is a very popular holiday and day tripper destination here in South Australia.

This group was about three quarters adult size and I’d estimate that they were between 12 an 18 months old. They were also independent of their father. The male Emu sits on the eggs, hatches them and then cares for the young for up to 18 months.

If you look carefully at the photos (click to enlarge the image) observe how the strong wind is creating an interesting effect on their tail feathers. Almost looks like they were not enjoying the wild weather either!

Juvenile Emus in Innes National Park

Juvenile Emus in Innes National Park