Etymology
Darwin's Rhea gets its scientific name from Rhea, a Greek goddess, and pennata means winged. The specific name was bestowed in 1834 by Darwin's contemporary and rival Alcide d'Orbigny who first described the bird to Europeans, from a specimen from the lower Río Negro south of Buenos Aires, Argentina. As late as 2008 it was classified in the monotypic genus Pterocnemia. This word is formed from two Greek words pteron meaning feathers, and knēmē meaning the leg between the knee and the ankle, hence feather-legged, alluding to their feathers that cover the top part of the leg. In 2008 the SACC subsumed Pterocnemia into the genus Rhea. It is known locally by various names, depending on the location: For example suri, choique, ñandú petiso, or ñandú del norte. The name 'ñandú' comes from the bird's name in Guaraní ñandú guazu, meaning big spider, possibly in relation to their habit of opening and lowering alternatively wings when they run.
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