The rhea is a flightless bird that looks a lot like an ostrich, but is a lot smaller. The legs are also different, ostriches have two toes and rhea three. The nandu occurs in the wild on the pampas in South America. Here they live on the open plains between the shrubs that serve as shelter. In the breeding season, rhea go in search of nutrient-rich areas near lakes and rivers.
Rhea’s will eat almost anything they come across. Usually these are grasses and herbs, but lizards and insects are also on the menu. The ratites live both in solidarity and in groups. Rhea are very alert animals, with their large eyes and ears they see and hear very well.
The name rhea comes from the sound the males make. During courtship the male makes side jumps and calls out with a deep sound ‘NAN DOE’. They are very fast, when they flee they can reach a speed of up to sixty kilometers per hour.