What emus eat in the wild
Emus eat the parts of plants with the most concentrated nutrients: seeds, fruits, flowers and young shoots, the Smithsonian's National Zoo says, and they pass up dry grass and old leaves. They also eat insects and other small animals, and the Australian Museum adds animal droppings to the list.
The menu changes with the seasons. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance describes emus eating acacia seeds until the rains come, cassia leaves and pods in winter, and beetles, grasshoppers and fruit in spring.
Pebbles in the gizzard
Emus have no teeth. They swallow pebbles, some as heavy as 1.6 ounces, which sit in the gizzard and grind their food. They often eat charcoal too.
Following the rain
Food in Australia comes and goes with the rain, and emus follow it. They can travel hundreds of kilometers, sometimes 9 to 15 miles a day, and in Western Australia they move north in summer and south in winter. They need fresh water every day.
For the lean times they store fat, and an emu can lose up to half its weight while it searches for food. A father sitting on eggs goes about eight weeks barely eating and can lose up to a third of his weight.
Emus also plant the outback as they go. They spread seeds in their droppings, and some plants rely on emus alone to do it.
What emus eat in zoos
In zoos, emus eat a pellet made for ratites, the flightless birds they belong with, plus greens like kale and romaine. The Phoenix Zoo adds vegetables and grapes, and the Louisville Zoo lets its emus graze on grass alongside pellets, alfalfa, vegetables and fruit.
The emus at Kaleidoscope Desert
The emus here, Whitey the white emu, Blondie, Martini, Spicoli and Night Moves among them, eat a steady diet from the sanctuary's team. They are still curious enough to come and inspect whatever a visitor is carrying, sunglasses included.
Kaleidoscope Desert is a nonprofit art and animal sanctuary on 7.5 acres in Morongo Valley, California, 15 minutes from Joshua Tree and 20 minutes from Palm Springs, where more than 100 animals roam free among the art.
You meet them on the Sanctuary Tour, a guided walk of about 90 minutes that runs daily, with someone who knows every resident by name and their stories. The animals come over on their own terms. Every visit is for adults, 18 and over.
100% of proceeds go to the animals: their rescue, their care, and the sanctuary they live in. Kaleidoscope Desert Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.