The Rhea, commonly known in Patagonia as ostrich or choique, is the only representative in South America of the tribe of the Ratites, birds of the new world that include the African ostrich, the emu, the cassowary and the kiwi.
Photo: Pía Vergara @piavergarafotografia
In Chile there are two subspecies, one located in the extreme north of the country, and shared with Argentina, Peru and Bolivia, better known as suri, and the rhea, distributed in Chile and Argentina, from the south of the Aysén Region to the Strait of Magallanes.
It lives in open areas, grasslands or pampas, where it mainly feeds on herbaceous plants. The rhea has very particular reproductive habits. In this bird it is the male who builds the nests and incubates the eggs of different females, which can generate up to two dozen eggs, which are deposited in different nests.
More information: https://inaturalist.mma.gob.cl/taxa/73338-Rhea-pennata
Photos: Pía Vergara @piavergarafotografia
Text: Nicolás Lagos @nicolagos_s
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