Darwin's Rhea, Rhea pennata, also known as the Lesser Rhea, is a large flightless bird, but the smaller of the two extant species of rheas. It is found in the Altiplanoand Patagonia in South America.
Physical characteristics: The lesser rhea is 36 to 39 inches (92 to 100 centimeters) in height and weighs 33 to 55 pounds (15 to 25 kilograms).
Geographic range: Lesser rheas are found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.
Habitat: Lesser rheas live in the grassy, open high plains of South America.
Diet: Lesser rheas are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and flesh. They primarily eat grasses, plants, leaves, roots, fruit, and seeds along with insects, lizards and small mammals. They drink little water and get most of the liquid they need from plants. They also swallow pebbles to aid with digestion.
Behavior and reproduction: Lesser rheas are social creatures that usually live in herds of five to thirty individuals. In the spring and summer breeding season, males become territorial by selecting an area of land as their territory and defending it against other males. Females also leave the larger group to congregate in smaller flocks.
The flightless birds are fast runners, capable of reaching speeds of up to 37 miles (60 kilometers) per hour. They are also strong swimmers, capable of crossing rivers. They have excellent eyesight and hearing. They often graze with smaller herbivores and are able to detect predators, animals that hunt them for food, from a long distance, thus alerting the other grazing animals to the danger.
Threats: There is still extensive persecution, particularly around Andean mining centers, and egg-collection by Aymará Indians. In the northern part of its range, it is hunted for meat and feathers and, in some areas; immature individuals are domesticated and bred. The principal threat to pennata is habitat conversion to farmland or pastures for cattle-grazing. Also the using of the feathers for folklore activities of Bolivia and Peru make a real threat for his conservation.
Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix I (except nominate race, which is on Appendix II).
