Member Blog: Speckles' spring chicks strut their stuff
Male Emu, Speckles, is one lucky bird, stepping out at Werribee Open Range Zoo’s Australian trail with an entourage of five long-legged chicks.
Keeper Malinda said the Emu chicks, which hatched in mid-September, are already turning heads with their striking looks.
“These little ones are supermodels in the making” Keeper Malinda said. “They have beautiful long legs and they’re still getting the hang of using them.” “The chicks have gorgeous eyes, luscious eyelashes, and have been strutting their stuff as if they’re on a catwalk.”
Emu chicks are the first to sport a seasonal trend, hatching out cream-coloured with distinct dark brown stripes running along their backs and heads. The markings help them blend in among grassland tussocks and woodlands.
In just a few months, however, they’ll drop this season’s patterned down for a shaggy, grey-brown monochromatic look, which has already been adopted by their older flock mates.
Male Emus are exceptional parents and take on the bulk of parental duties. During the two-month incubation, males will sit on the eggs to regulate the nest temperature, during which time they will forgo eating and drinking.
With the sedentary dad-duties over, Speckles is now getting his steps up.
“Speckles is an incredibly attentive dad and is keeping the chicks safe and together as a small unit. He’s already busy teaching them how to forage, where to find food and water in their habitat and how to preen their beautiful feathers.”
Speckles’ clutch marks a milestone as the first Emu chicks to hatch at Werribee Open Range Zoo in 20 years. The five chicks join a multi-generational flock of 11 adult birds at the Zoo’s free-roaming Australian Trail habitat.
