View source for Rhea (bird)

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}
{{About|the bird||Rhea (disambiguation){{!}}Rhea}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| italic_title = no
| name = Rheas
| fossil_range = [[Messinian]]-[[Holocene |Present]] {{Fossil range|7|0}}
| image = greater rhea pair arp.jpg
| image_caption = Two [[greater rhea]]s
| taxon = Rhea
| authority = [[Mathurin Jacques Brisson|Brisson]], 1760
| type_species = ''[[Rhea americana|Struthio americanus]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
| subdivision =
* †''[[Rhea anchorenense|R. anchorenense]]''
* †''[[Rhea fossilis|R. fossilis]]''
* †''[[Rhea mesopotamica|R. mesopotamica]]''
* †''[[Rhea subpampeana|R. subpampeana]]''
* ''[[Greater rhea|R. americana]]'' <small>American rhea</small>
* ''[[Darwin's rhea|R. pennata]]'' <small>Darwin's rhea</small>
* ''[[Darwin's rhea|R. tarapacensis]]'' <small>Puna rhea (disputed)</small>
| synonyms =
* ''Rhea'' <small>Moehring, 1752 [[Linnaean taxonomy|pre-Linnaean]]</small><ref>{{cite book |last1=Moehring |first1=Paul Heinrich Gerhard |title=Avium Genera |date=1752 |page=57 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/104154#page/61/mode/1up |access-date=1 December 2024}}</ref>
* ''Touyou'' <small>[[Bernard Germain de Lacépède|Lacépède]], 1799</small>
* ''Tuyus'' <small>[[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Rafinesque]], 1815</small>
* ''[[Pterocnemia]]'' <small>[[George Robert Gray|G. R. Gray]], 1870</small>
|synonyms_ref=<ref>{{avibase|id=9E3B4EFBB03B3420|name=Rhea sp.}}</ref>
}}

The '''rhea''' ({{IPAc-en|'|r|iː|ə|}} {{respell|REE|ə}}), also known as the '''ñandú'''{{efn|alternatively spelt ''nandoo'' or ''nhandu''}} ({{IPAc-en|nj|æ|n|'|d|uː}} {{respell|nyan|DOO}}) or '''South American ostrich''',<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Chambers Dictionary|publisher=Chambers|year=2003|isbn=0-550-10105-5|edition=9th|chapter=nandu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Collins English Dictionary|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2018|isbn=978-0-008-28437-4|edition=13th|chapter=rhea}}</ref> is a [[South America]]n [[ratite]] ([[flightless bird]] without a [[keel (bird anatomy)|keel]] on the [[sternum]] bone) of the order Rheiformes. Rheas are distantly related to the two African [[Ostrich|ostriches]] and Australia's [[emu]] (the largest, second-largest and third-largest living ratites, respectively), with rheas placing just behind the emu in height and overall size. 

Most taxonomic authorities recognize two [[Extant taxon|extant]] species: the [[Greater rhea|greater or American rhea]] (''Rhea americana''), and the [[Darwin's rhea|lesser or Darwin's rhea]] (''Rhea pennata''). The [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) classifies the [[puna rhea]] as another species instead of a subspecies of the [[lesser rhea]]. The IUCN currently rates the greater and puna rheas as near-threatened in their native ranges, while Darwin's rhea is of least concern, having recovered from past threats to its survival. In addition, the feral population of the greater rhea in Germany appears to be growing. However, control efforts are underway and seem to succeed in controlling the birds' population growth. Similarly to ostriches and emus, rheas are fairly popular livestock and pets, regularly kept and bred on farms, ranches, private parks, and by [[aviculture|aviculturists]], mainly in North and South America and Europe.

==Etymology==
The name "rhea" was used in 1752 by [[Paul Möhring]] and adopted as the [[English language|English]] common name. Möhring named the bird after the [[Titan (mythology)|Greek Titan]] [[Rhea (mythology)|Rhea]], whose [[Ancient Greek]] name ({{lang|grc|Ῥέα}}) is thought to come from {{lang|grc|ἔρα}} (''éra'', "ground"). This was fitting with the rhea being a flightless ground bird. Depending on the South American region, the rhea is known locally as {{lang|gn|ñandú guazu}} ([[Guaraní language|Guaraní]] –or related Tupi ''nhandú-gûasú''– meaning "big spider"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edelweiss |first1=Frederico G. |title=Gûaçú e usú na diacronia das línguas e dialetos Tupi-Guaranis |lang=pt|year=1972 |publisher=[[Institute of Brazilian Studies at the University of São Paulo|Instituto de Estudoes Brasileiros]] |url=http://www.etnolinguistica.org/artigo:edelweiss-1969-guasu}}</ref> most probably concerning their habit of opening and lowering alternate wings when they run),{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} {{lang|pt|ema}} ([[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]), {{lang|ay|suri}} ([[Aymara language|Aymara]] and [[Southern Quechua|Quechua]]),<ref>{{Ref Bertonio}}</ref><ref>{{Ref Laime}}</ref> or {{lang|arn|choique}} ([[Mapudungun language|Mapudungun]]). {{lang|mis|Nandu}} is the common name in many European languages and may sometimes be heard in English.<ref name=":0"/>

==Taxonomy and systematics==
[[File:Rhea dustbathing at Marwell zoo.JPG|thumb|right|[[Greater rhea]]s (''Rhea americana'') dustbathing at [[Marwell Zoo]]: The two individuals on the left are [[leucistic]].]]
The [[genus]] ''Rhea'' was introduced by French zoologist [[Mathurin Jacques Brisson]] in 1760 with the [[greater rhea]] (''Rhea americana'') as the [[type species]].<ref>{{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode Contenant la Division des Oiseaux en Ordres, Sections, Genres, Especes & leurs Variétés | language=fr, la | at=[https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36010444 Vol. 1, p. 46], [https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36294278 Vol. 5, p. 8] | place=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Cottrell | editor2-first=G. William | year=1979 | title=Check-list of Birds of the World | volume=1 | edition=2nd | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=5 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16108626 }}</ref>

===Extant species===
The genus contains two extant species and eight subspecies, although one subspecies is disputed:<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | year=2019 | title=Ratites: Ostriches to Tinamous | work=World Bird List Version 9.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/ratites/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=4 April 2019 }}</ref>
{{Species table |genus=Rhea |authority-name=[[Mathurin Jacques Brisson|Brisson]]|authority-year= 1760 |species-count=two|no-note=y|no-ecology=y}}

{{Species table/row
|name=Greater rhea|binomial=[[Rhea americana]]
|image=File:Nandu Rhea americana Tierpark Hellabrunn-1.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=[[Linnaeus]]|authority-year= [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]|authority-not-original=yes
|range= [[Argentina]], [[Bolivia]], [[Brazil]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Uruguay]]
|range-image=File:Rhea americana.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|no-ecology=y
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= NT
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Five subspecies |bullets=on
| ''R. a. americana'' <small>([[Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])</small>, live in the [[cerrado]]s (bushlands) and [[caatinga]] of central and eastern [[Brazil]].
| ''R. a. intermedia'' <small>Rothschild & Chubb 1914</small>, intermediate rhea of southeastern [[Brazil]] in [[Rio Grande do Sul]] and [[Uruguay]]
| ''R. a. nobilis'' <small>Brodkorb 1939</small>, eastern [[Paraguay]], east of [[Rio Paraguay]]
| ''R. a. araneipes'' <small>Brodkorb 1938</small>, chaco of Paraguay to [[Bolivia]] and [[Mato Grosso]] in Brazil
|''R. a. albescens'' <small>Lynch & Holmberg 1878</small>, plains of [[Argentina]] south of [[Rio Negro Province|Rio Negro]]
}}
}}

{{Species table/row
|name=[[Darwin's rhea]] or [[lesser rhea]]|binomial=[[Rhea pennata]]
|image=File:Rhea pennata pennata (6).JPG|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=d'Orbigny |authority-year= 1834|authority-not-original=
|range= Altiplano and Patagonia in South America
|range-image=File:Distribution of Rhea pennata.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|no-ecology=y
|habitat= 
|hunting=
|iucn-status= LC
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Two subspecies |bullets=on
| ''R. p. garleppi'' <small>(Chubb 1913)</small>, [[Puna grassland|puna]]/Garlepp's rhea of southeastern [[Peru]], southwestern Bolivia and northwestern Argentina. It is included in ''[[Puna Rhea|R. tarapacensis]]'' by The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
| ''R. p. pennata'' <small>d'Orbigny 1834</small>, Darwin's lesser rhea of [[Patagonia]]n [[steppes]] in southern Argentina and southern Chile
}}
}}

{{Species table/end}}


''Rhea pennata'' was not always in the genus ''Rhea''. In 2008, the [[American Ornithological Society|SACC]], the last holdout, approved merging the genera ''Rhea'' and ''Pterocnemia'' on August 7, 2008. This merging of genera leaves only the genus ''Rhea''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCProproster.html | title=Classification of birds of South America Part 01 | access-date=4 February 2009 | last=Remsen Jr. | first=J. V. |date = 7 August 2008 |page= Proposal#348| work=South American Classification Committee | publisher=American Ornithologists' Union |display-authors=etal}}</ref> A former fourth species of rhea, ''Rhea nana'', was described by [[Lydekker]] in 1894 based on a single [[egg (biology)|egg]] found in [[Patagonia]],<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Knox |first1=A. |last2=Walters |first2=M. |title=Extinct and Endangered Birds in the Collections of the Natural History Museum |series= British Ornithologists' Club Occasional Publications |volume=1 |year=1994 |publisher= British Ornithologists' Club }}</ref> but today no major authorities consider it valid.

===Fossils===
* †''[[Rhea anchorenense|R. anchorenense]]'' <small>(Ameghino & Rusconi 1932)</small> [''Rhea americana anchorenense'' <small>Amcghino & Rusconi 1932</small>]
* †''[[Rhea fossilis|R. fossilis]]'' <small>(Moreno & Mercerat 1891)</small> [''Pterocnemia fossilis'' <small>(Moreno & Mercerat 1891)</small>; ''[[Rhea pampeana]]'' <small>(Moreno & Mercerat 1891)</small>]
* †''[[Rhea mesopotamica|R. mesopotamica]]'' <small>(Agnolín & Noriega 2012)</small> [''Pterocnemia mesopotamica'' <small>Agnolín & Noriega 2012</small>]
* †''[[Rhea subpampeana|R. subpampeana]]'' <small>Moreno & Mercerat 1891</small>

==Description==
[[File:Greater rhea close up.jpg|thumb|left|Greater rhea head close up]]
Rheas are large, [[flightless bird]]s with grey-brown [[plumage]], long legs, and long necks, similar to an [[ostrich]]. Large males of ''R. americana'' can reach {{cvt|170|cm}} tall at the head, {{cvt|100|cm}} at the back<ref name="Davies">{{Cite encyclopedia |last=Davies |first=S. J. J. F.|editor=Hutchins, Michael |encyclopedia=Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia |title=Rheas |edition=2nd |year=2003 |publisher=Gale Group |volume=8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins |location=Farmington Hills, MI|isbn=0-7876-5784-0 |pages=69–71}}</ref> and can weigh up to {{cvt|40|kg}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Martin|first1=W. C. L. |title=An introduction to study of birds |url=https://archive.org/details/anintroductiont00martgoog |year=1835 |publisher=Chiswick |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/anintroductiont00martgoog/page/n414 400]}}</ref> The lesser rhea is smaller, with a height of {{cvt|100|cm}}.<ref name="Davies"/> Their wings are large for a flightless bird ({{cvt|250|cm|ft}})<ref name="Davies"/> and are spread while [[cursorial|running]], to act like [[sail]]s.<ref name=EoB>{{Cite book|editor=Forshaw, Joseph|first= S. j. j. f.|last= Davies|year=1991|title=Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds|publisher= Merehurst Press|location=London|pages= 47–48|isbn= 1-85391-186-0}}</ref> Unlike most birds, rheas have only three toes. Their [[Tarsus (skeleton)|tarsus]] has 18 to 22 horizontal plates on the front of it. They also store [[urine]] separately in an expansion of the [[cloaca]].<ref name="Davies"/>{{clear left}}

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Nandu, Parque Luro, La Pampa, Argentina.jpg|thumb|A rhea at the Parque Luro, Argentina]]
Rheas are from [[South America]] only and are limited within the continent to [[Argentina]], [[Bolivia]], [[Brazil]], [[Chile]], [[Paraguay]], [[Peru]] and [[Uruguay]]. They are grassland birds, and both species prefer open land. The greater rheas live in open grasslands, [[pampa]]s and [[wiktionary:chaco|chaco]] woodlands. They prefer to breed near water and prefer lowlands, seldom going above {{convert|1500|m}}. On the other hand, the lesser rhea will inhabit most [[shrubland]], grassland, even desert salt [[puna grassland|puna]] up to {{convert|4500|m}}.<ref name="Davies"/><ref name=BLI>{{cite web| url=http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=2| title=Greater Rhea Rhea americana | access-date=15 June 2012 | author=BirdLife International | year=2012| work=Data Zone}}</ref><ref name=BLI1>{{cite web| url=http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3 | title=Lesser Rhea Rhea pennata | access-date=15 June 2012 | author=BirdLife International | year=2012| work=Data Zone}}</ref>

=== Feral populations in Europe ===
A small population of rheas has emerged in [[Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania]], northeastern [[Germany]], after several couples escaped from an exotic meat farm near [[Lübeck]] in the late 1990s. Contrary to expectations, the large birds adapted well to conditions in the German countryside.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.welt.de/wissenschaft/article5701264/Nandus-ein-tierisches-Einwanderungsproblem.html | date=2 January 2010 | access-date=5 November 2014 | last=Kulke | first=Ulli | language=de | title=Nandus – ein tierisches Einwanderungsproblem | trans-title=Rheas – an animal immigration problem | website=Die Welt}}</ref> A monitoring system has been in place since 2008.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nandu.info/index.html | title=Informationen der Arbeitsgruppe Nandumonitoring | language=de | trans-title=Information of the rhea monitoring working group | access-date=5 November 2014 | archive-date=5 November 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105142040/http://www.nandu.info/index.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> By 2014, there was already a population of well over 100 birds in an area of {{convert|150|km2}} between the river [[Wakenitz]] and the [[Bundesautobahn 20|A20 motorway]], slowly expanding eastward.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/tierische-einwanderer-nandus-breiten-sich-in-mecklenburg-vorpommern-aus-a-1001114.html|title=Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Nandus vergrößern ihren Lebensraum weiter | access-date=5 November 2014 | newspaper=Der Spiegel | date=5 November 2014 | language=de | trans-title=Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Rheas further extend their habitat}}</ref>

[[File:Greater rhea (Nandu), Lenschow.jpg|left|thumb|Feral greater rhea flock in Germany]]

The population grew steadily for several years. By autumn 2018, their numbers had significantly increased to about 600. As such, local farmers claim increasing damage to their fields, and some biologists say the rheas pose a growing risk to local wildlife. Still protected by German natural conservation law, a local discussion developed regarding how to handle the situation. Eventually, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's government allowed limited hunting of the birds, explicitly to just reduce the population's growth and not to wipe them out. At this point, it was generally agreed that the rheas should be allowed to stay in the region. By spring 2021, just 247 rheas were counted; this development was attributed to both the hunting and the increased caution of the animals. Several had begun to avoid humans more than previously and retreated into the woods.<ref>{{cite web |last=Burghardt |first=Peter | url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/nandu-wolf-deutschland-1.5267749 |title=Nandus unter Beschuss | trans-title=Nandus under fire | website=Süddeutsche Zeitung | language=de | date=18 April 2021 | access-date=3 September 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/Kontroverse-Nandu-Jagd-in-MV,nandujagd100.html |title=Kontroverse Nandu-Jagd in MV | trans-title=Controversial nandu hunt in MV | website=NDR | language=de | date=24 January 2021 | access-date=3 September 2021 }}</ref> Some members of this rhea population have also expanded into other areas; at least twice individual rheas who probably originated in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania were sighted in [[Brandenburg]]'s [[High Fläming Nature Park]], over {{convert|200|km}} from their usual range.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2021/08/nandu-maerkischer-strausse-mark-eva-loth-norbert-eschholz.html |title=Fotografin lichtet schnellen Nandu im Hohen Fläming ab | trans-title=Photographer takes a photo of a fast nandu in High Fläming | website=rbb24 | language=de | date=27 August 2021 | access-date=3 September 2021 }}</ref> By early 2023, 91 rheas were counted in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; the population decline was attributed to both hunting as well as harsher weather of previous years. By this point, German authorities believed a stable population of 50 adult birds would be optimal for the local ecosystem and agriculture. Researchers concluded that the feral population was subject to substantial fluctuations but remained healthy, adaptable, and entrenched in the area.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.de/tiere/2023/08/wilde-nandus-in-deutschland-die-riesenvoegel-vom-schaalsee |title=Wilde Nandus in Deutschland: Die Riesenvögel vom Schaalsee | trans-title=Wild rheas in Germany: The great birds of Schaalsee | website=National Geographic | language=de | date=31 August 2023 | access-date=24 May 2024 }}</ref>

There also appears to be a small population of wild rheas in the [[United Kingdom]]. In March 2021, about 20 rheas were reportedly running free on a residential estate in [[Hertfordshire]]. Local police could not identify any owner, so they assumed they were wild birds. Once caught, authorities intend to place them in a suitable nature reserve to allow them to develop as a colony.<ref>{{Cite web|last=BBC News|date=2021-03-26|title=Rhea birds running wild on Hertfordshire housing estate.|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-56535979|access-date=2021-03-26|website=BBC News}}</ref>

==Behavior==
[[File:Greater rhea skeleton.jpg|right|thumb|Rhea skeleton]]

===Individual and flocking===
Rheas tend to be silent birds, except when they are chicks or the male seeks a mate. During the breeding season, the male will attempt to attract females by calling. This call is a loud booming noise. While calling like this, they will lift the front of their body and ruffle their plumage, all while keeping their neck stiff. They will then extend and raise their wings and run short distances, alternating with their wings. He may then single out a female and walk alongside or in front of her with a lowered head and spread wings. If the female notices him, he will wave his neck back and forth in a figure eight. Finally, a female may offer herself, and copulation will commence.<ref name="Davies"/>

During the non-breeding season they may form flocks of between 20 and 25 birds,<ref name=Coomber>{{cite book|last=Coomber|first=Richard|title=Birds of the World|year=1991|publisher=Colour Library Books Ltd.|location=Godalming, Surrey|isbn=0-86283-806-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/photographicency0000coom/page/8 8–9]|editor=Gill Waugh|chapter=Rheiformes: Rheas|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/photographicency0000coom/page/8}}</ref> although the lesser rhea forms smaller flocks than this. When in danger, they flee in a [[zigzag]] course, using one wing and the other, similar to a rudder. During the breeding season, the flocks break up.<ref name="Davies"/>

===Diet===
Mostly, rheas are herbivorous and prefer broad-leafed plants, but they also eat fruits, seeds, roots, and insects such as grasshoppers, small reptiles, and rodents.<ref name=Davies/> Young rheas eat only insects for the first few days. Outside the breeding season, they gather in flocks and feed with deer and cattle.<ref name=Coomber/>

===Reproduction===
Rheas are polygynandrous, with males courting between two and twelve females and females commonly mating with multiple dominant males during the breeding season. After mating, the male builds a nest where each female lays eggs. The nest is a simple scrape in the ground, lined with grass and leaves.<ref name=EoB/> The male incubates from ten to sixty eggs. The male will use a decoy system and place some eggs outside the nest, then sacrifice these to predators so they do not attempt to get inside the nest. The male may use another subordinate male to incubate his eggs while he finds another group of females to start a second nest with.<ref name="Davies"/> The chicks hatch within 36 hours of each other. Right before hatching, the chicks begin to whistle.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-27|title=Listen: Greater Rhea Nests Are Filled With Dozens of Whistling Eggs|url=https://www.audubon.org/news/listen-greater-rhea-nests-are-filled-dozens-whistling-eggs|access-date=2022-01-26|website=Audubon|language=en}}</ref> The group of females, meanwhile, may move on and mate with other males. While caring for the young, the males will charge at any perceived threat approaching the chicks, including female rheas and humans. The young reach full adult size in about six months but do not breed until they reach two years of age.<ref name="EoB"/>

==Status and conservation==
The numbers of the greater and puna rhea are decreasing as their habitats shrink. Both are considered [[near threatened]] by the IUCN. The IUCN also states that they are both approaching [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] status.<ref name="IUCN_tarapacensis">{{cite iucn | author = BirdLife International | authorlink = BirdLife International | title = ''Rhea tarapacensis'' | volume = 2016 | article-number = e.T22728206A94974751 | year = 2016 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22728206A94974751.en }}</ref><ref name=BLI/><ref name=BLI1/><ref name="IUCN_americana">{{cite iucn | author = BirdLife International | authorlink = BirdLife International | title = ''Rhea americana'' | volume= 2016 | article-number = e.T22678073A92754472 | year = 2016 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22678073A92754472.en }}</ref> The lesser rhea is classified as [[least concern]].<ref name="IUCN_pennata">{{cite iucn | author = BirdLife International | authorlink = BirdLife International | title = ''Rhea pennata'' | volume = 2016 | article-number = e.T22728199A94974489 | year = 2016 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22728199A94974489.en }}</ref>

==Human interaction==
[[File:Carne de ñandú.JPG|thumb|Rhea meat]]
{{Portal|Biology|Animals|Birds|Latin America}}
Rheas have many uses in South America. Feathers are used for feather dusters, skins are used for cloaks or leather, and their meat is a [[Staple food|staple]] to many people.<ref name="Davies"/>

[[Gaucho]]s traditionally hunt rheas on horseback, throwing ''[[bolas]]'' or ''boleadoras''—a throwing device consisting of three balls joined by rope—at their legs, which immobilises the bird.<ref name=Coomber/> The rhea is pictured on [[Argentine austral#Centavo|Argentina's 1-centavo coin]] minted in 1987, and on the [[Currency of Uruguay|Uruguayan 5-peso coin]].

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Rhea (genus)}}
*[http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/rheas-rheidae Rhea videos] on the Internet Bird Collection
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Rhea (bird)|display=Rhea|short=x}}

<!-- INSUGEOCorrelGeol14:191 -->

{{Palaeognathae|N.}}
{{Meat}}
{{Portal bar|Birds|Animals}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q19171}}
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[[Category:Rheidae]]
[[Category:Ratites]]
[[Category:Domesticated birds]]
[[Category:Flightless birds]]
[[Category:Bird genera]]
[[Category:Birds of South America]]
[[Category:Extant Late Pleistocene first appearances]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Mathurin Jacques Brisson]]