Dark Emu - Behaviour

Behaviour

Péron's interview sheds light on some aspects of the behaviour of the King Island Emu. It shows that the bird was generally solitary but gathered in flocks of ten to twenty at breeding time, then paired and wandered off in pairs. They ate berries, grass and seaweed, and foraged mainly during morning and evening. They were swift runners, but were apparently slower than the mainland birds, due to being fat. They swam well, but only when necessary. They reportedly liked the shady area of lagoons and the shoreline, rather than open areas. They used a claw on each wing for scratching themselves. If unable to flee from the hunting dogs of the sealers, they would defend themselves by kicking, which could inflict a great deal of harm pn them. Accoding to Péron, a mother Emu would also defend its young from crows with its beak, but this is now known to be strictly male behaviour.

Captain Matthew Flinders did not encounter Emus when he visited King Island in 1802, but his naturalist Robert Brown examined their dung and noted they had chiefly fed on the berries of Leptecophylla juniperina. An account by English ornithologist John Latham about the "Van Diemen's Cassowary" may also refer to the King Island Emu, based on the small size described. in addition to a physical description, he stated that they gathered in groups of 70 to 80 individuals in a given location while foraging, which was exploited by hunters.

Péron stated that the nest was usually situated near water and on the ground under the shade of a bush. It was constructed of sticks and lined with dead leaves and moss; it was oval in shape and not very deep. Seven to nine eggs were laid, always on the 25th and 26 July. The selective advantage of this breeding synchronisation is unknown. The female incubated the eggs, but the male apparently developed a brood patch, which indicates it contributed as well. Either parents stayed by the nest when the other was incubating, and the chicks left the nest two to three days after hatching. Péron claimed the incubation period was five or six weeks, but since the mainland Emu incubates for 50 to 56 days, this may be too short.