Size : Up to 50 pounds, and up to 5 feet tall.

Lifespan : 20 years in the wild, up to 40 years in captivity.

Breeding : Mating September-December. Male mates with multiple females, up to 40 eggs/clutch.

Habits : Gregarious outside mating season.  Often seen in flocks of 20 or more  following cattle.

Diet : Seeds, roots, grasses, leaves, insects, worms, and lizards.

    The greater Rhea is the largest existing bird in the Americas. It is flightless.  Its mating habit is similar to that of ostriches.  The male builds a nest and attracts females with whom he mates, after the female lays the eggs, the male incubates them while the female goes off to mate with other male rheas.  The male accumulates about 20-30 eggs in the nest, which it incubates for 35-40 days.  After hatching, the male takes care of the chicks for about 6 months.
    Although Rheas can outrun their predators, they sometimes double back and crouch down in bushes to avoid detection. Greater Rheas are classified as "near threatened" because many have been killed for a number of reasons: some farmers consider them pests; others hunt them for food; they are also taken for their tail feathers, which may be used in feather dusters.