The Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the second-tallest living bird globally, native to Australia. The basic coloration of a mature emu is generally a shaggy, mottled gray-brown or dark brown. This hue provides effective camouflage against the Australian landscape, allowing the bird to blend into various environments. The emu’s color varies significantly between the main body, the head, and the chicks.
The Primary Body Plumage
The main body of an adult emu is covered in dense, coarse feathers, contributing to a shaggy, almost hair-like appearance. This texture results from the feather structure, which features a double rachis, meaning two shafts emerge from a single base. This arrangement creates an insulating layer that aids the bird’s survival in the Australian sun.
The outer tips of these feathers are often dark, nearly black, while the underlying structure is lighter, creating a blended, mottled effect of gray, brown, and black. Coloration can vary subtly depending on the bird’s habitat; emus in arid regions with red soil may exhibit a reddish tint, while those in damper areas tend to be darker overall. The dark feather tips absorb solar radiation, and the loose packing of the feathers prevents heat transfer, aiding in thermoregulation.
Distinguishing Head and Neck Features
The coloration changes noticeably on the emu’s head and neck, which have sparse, dark feathers. This reduced feather coverage reveals the underlying skin, which is a pale, striking blue or bluish-white. The contrast between the dark, shaggy body plumage and the exposed, lightly-colored skin of the upper neck is a distinctive adult feature.
The unfeathered areas of the head and neck function in thermoregulation. In hot climates, these areas allow the bird to dissipate excess heat through controlled blood flow near the surface. The pale blue skin is particularly visible on the upper neck, providing a sharp visual break from the body’s camouflage. During breeding season, the female’s bare facial skin patches may even turn a brighter blue.
Color Variation in Emu Chicks
Emu coloration is strongly age-dependent, with newly hatched chicks displaying a pattern vastly different from their parents. Chicks emerge from their dark green eggs covered in a fluffy down that is cream or white with prominent dark brown or black horizontal stripes. This bold, striped pattern serves as effective camouflage in the tall grasses and scrub, helping to break up the chick’s outline from predators.
The stripes run longitudinally down the body, a specialized form of disruptive coloration that aids survival during their early life. This juvenile plumage is temporary, beginning to fade and be replaced by darker feathers around three months of age. The chicks gradually lose their stripes and develop a dark brown or blackish plumage, which is replaced by the adult’s grayish-brown coloration by about fifteen months of age.