| Species Details [Taxonomy: HBW - BirdLife (v3)] |
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King Island Emu* |
Id (Atlas): |
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Dromaius minor |
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Description (10)
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King Island Emu
© nhm.ac.uk
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Other Scientific Names
Dromaius minor
Other Names (World)
King Island Emu, Black Emu, Dwarf Emu
Family
Casuariidae (Cassowaries, Emus)
Size
150 - 200 cm
First Described (Guide)
Spencer, 1906
Derivation
Drom-ai'-us - Gk, dromaius, swift-footed: ater - ?
Information
Reasons for extinction unknown, but European settlers and sealers were know to hunt Emu for food. Slightly smaller than Kangaroo Island Emu (Dromaius baudinianus) and smaller than Common Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae).
Abundance (Guide)
Extinct.
Habitat
Lagoons and along shoreline, in the shade rather than in the open.
Australia (E) (B).
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Extinct on King Island, Bass Strait.
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Status EX
Extinct.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Food
Said to eat berries, grass, and occasionally seasweed. Gravel was also indested to aid in digestion.
Nest
Oval shaped construction of small dry sticks, lined with dead leaves and moss, on the ground, under bushes and near lagoons.
Eggs (Guide)
8 - 9. Incubation: about 35 - 42 days.
Subspecies
Dromaius novaehollandiae (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Common Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), King Island Emu (Dromaius minor) and Kangaroo Island Emu (Dromaius baudinianus) following Christidis and Boles (1994).
Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Common Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae).
No subspecies.
References
See References.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
Files:
BirdLife International
For more information about the King Island Emu see...  BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
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