The emu is the second-largest living bird by height, after its ratite relative,
the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and
the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. The emu’s range covers
most of mainland Australia, but the Tasmanian, Kangaroo Island and King
Island subspecies became extinct after the European settlement of Australia
in 1788. The bird is sufficiently common for it to be rated as a least-concern
species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
