What Are Rheas Used For?

What Are Rheas Used For?

Rheas are a large flightless bird that are found in eastern south america. Rheas can grow to be as tall as 5 feet and weigh up to 90 pounds.

Rhea's are omnivorous but mainly eat plants, seeds and insects. They get most of their water from food and only drink if there is a water source around. The rhea is not endangered but does face threats from human activities like hunting and habitat destruction. There are only about 1500 rheas remaining in the wild making them a threatened species.

The rhea has many uses including:

Meat - Rheas are used for meat as they have large amounts of white meat and very little dark meat on them.[1]

Eggs - Rhea eggs are used as food or for incubating other eggs.[1]

Feathers - Their feathers can be used for decorations or fly fishing.[2]

Leather - Leather can be produced by tanning the skins of rheas.[1]

Rheas are large, flightless birds native to South America. They are the largest birds in the Americas and the largest living bird by land. Rheas feed on invertebrates and plants, including fruit.

The male rhea makes a nest for eggs, which he incubates for about 35 days. He will not allow the female near his nest, as she is likely to eat the young. After hatching, the male cares for them for about four months. During that time he may mate with up to five females; this promiscuity allows him to raise more young than he could otherwise.

Rheas were first brought to North America in 1900, when six pairs were imported from Argentina and released in Georgia. In the early twentieth century they were also released in Florida and Texas; some of these escaped captivity. By 1925 there were over 150 individuals in Florida alone, and they can now be found in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee.