the greater rhea is a large ratite (member of the same family as ostriches and emus) native to eastern portions of south america. they are the largest bird native to the americas, at just below five feet in height, weighing up to 60 lbs. they have also established a feral population in germany, surpassing 500 birds as of 2018. as domestic animals, the rhea has been known to serve many purposes for humans - meat, eggs, leather, and even rhea oil, used for cosmetics. these birds are largely fearless, which can make them vulnerable to introduced predators. they often travel in flocks of 10-100 when not in the breeding season. they are entirely flightless. the rhea is polygamous, and eggs are incubated en masse in shared nests, sometimes reaching 80 eggs to a nest.
when i got home after the new years celebrations last night, i took off my boots and found this pin stuck in the bottom of one of them,, a good sign for the new year perhaps ? :-)
