GREATER RHEA
Rhea americana
Although these birds might look like juvenile ostriches, rhea are actually their South American cousins. At only around one-fifth the size of an adult ostrich, rhea can still weigh an impressive 30 kilograms and grow up to 1.5 metres tall. Rhea are flightless birds, and like ostriches they use their wings as balance aids while running at high speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. Female rhea lay up to 40 eggs per breeding season, but it’s the males that will incubate the eggs for around 30 days before they hatch.