Wild Emus at The Lilly Pilly Tree

[briefvisit]

Do emu chicks hatch in spring? Yes.

Should unattached males already be in a breeding-pair by the middle of the first month in autumn? Maybe.

By the second month of autumn? Yeh, Probably.

 

[briefvisit]

We heard a female emu vocalizing sort of haphazardly in the moonlight, in the wee hours.



Now, in the past, birds like Felicity Emu would, while ‘in residence,’ vocalise loudly and clearly – and recognizably. In Felicity’s case, seven single booms. Let’s discuss this.

 

[AntiqueB]

Do emus vocalize to find mates?

 

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'Do emus vocalize to find mates?'

Wow! Groovy question!

First Answer: we don’t know!



They vocalise territorially. The breeding-pairs talk to one another all the time.



The go ‘shmoozing’ together around the countryside in autumn, sometimes fifteen to twenty five at a time.



And: there’s the notion that s o m e h o w emus can express their power in their vocalisations. It’s hard to explain, but we’re quite sure it’s real. Sometimes the home-team will begin literally backing away from the vocalisations of a foreign bird that’s not even in sight yet!



Sometimes the exact opposite: the home team will here a bird nearby, and head straight out to confront it -- ??????

The answer to your specific question, though, is a blind spot.

 

[briefvisit]

'Do emus vocalize to find mates?'



Emus aren’t about to print a two-volume dictionary of the emu language. However, there are certainly more sounds that emus make and understand than us hoomernz can distinguish.



We recall watching Felicity with a first-time consort at the moment the pair reached the house-clearing. We just happened to see them approaching. Felicity cruised in, and got a ration of wheat, and sultanas, and a pat. Some minutes later she called the male, who had been waiting at some distance, and it was clear from the male’s movements in the following minutes that he was aware of what Felicity was saying to him.



Listening to a Dad with chicks is perhaps the example we should have started with. The gist of their ‘conversations’ are dead easy to follow. Distress calls are unmistakable.



There was a fascinating and unique event in which Greedy Emu communicated with male emus in the early morning hours. Several turned up the following morning, as though by appointment. It happened several times, and we are sure that some clear communications happened between that resident female and some males.



The ‘assessments of power’ we’ve already mentioned. These are an abiding mystery (and we don’t know how sight factors in). Suffice to say that there is more communication happening in these cases than us humans understand.



Just this morning, at dawn, Limpy Chick and Offsider stood close and spent several minutes making little noises together. These meant nothing to us, but it’s illogical to think that two critters would stand together and make completely meaningless sounds.



So, emus talk among themselves whether in breeding-pairs or other configurations. Females communicate inter-territorially (which is mentioned nowhere in the literature that I’ve found yet). Dads talk to their chicks.



So it seems counter-intuitive that potential partners don’t communicate.



SE

 

[briefvisit]

One: there was a fourth emu here at dusk. We saw it flash into the bush with Undersized Emu on its tail.



Two: we heard three female vocalisations in the wee hours – but the same bird?

The vocalisations we heard several nights ago were odd – ‘jumbled.’ A female’s nighttime calls usually have a signature: single or double booms. A certain number of those: the same every time.



The third vocalisation last night – very very early this morning – sounded quite usual: six single booms.

 

[AntiqueB]

Do we know if emus from different areas vocalize differently? If so, that may be a "foreign" emu?

 

[briefvisit]

'Do we know if emus from different areas vocalize differently? If so, that may be a "foreign" emu?'

This is a nice question, Antique. I've sure never heard it suggested.

And the uncomfortable truth is that the information about emus online is often the same details repeated endlessly. Beyond that, there is less information than you might think.

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/oBTXM1a

This is Limpy Chick and Offsider emerging from the bush, and it shows one reason why I mistook Limpy Chick for a female: it’s LC in front, with Offsider trailing. But breeding-pairs usually get about with the female in the lead. Readers may recall that I noted that Eric was an exception to this.

 

[briefvisit]

This is a section of bush just by where I was looking for Dad and The Cheeky Chicks.
In winter, when it's green, it can be quite pretty.

https://imgur.com/cBIijm7