THREATENED SPECIES OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY
EMU
Dromaius novaehollandiae
Conservation status
Australia: Not listed.
Northern Territory: Vulnerable.
Description
Waterhole Protected Area, Mary River
National Park, Nitmiluk National Park,
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park,
Watarrka National Park, West
MacDonnell National Park.
The emu is a very large flightless bird
(height 1.0-1.9 m) with long legs and
neck. The plumage is shaggy, greybrown, paler towards the base of the
feathers. The skin of the face, throat
and upper neck is almost bare and
conspicuously bluish. The wings are
rudimentary, and hang limply. The
young are striped with dark
brown/black-brown over a buff down.
Known locations of the Emu
ο = pre 1970; • = post 1970.
Emu (Photo: M Armstrong)
Distribution
The emu is extremely widespread
across continental Australia. It occurs
across most of the Northern Territory
but is scarce in the driest desert regions
and densities are low in most of the Top
End woodlands (Marchant and Higgins
1990). It is absent from all NT islands.
Conservation reserves where reported:
Alice Springs Desert Park, Chamber's
Pillar Historical Reserve, Connells
Lagoon Conservation Reserve, Dulcie
Ranges National Park, Garig Gunak
Barlu National Park, Gregory National
Park, Illamurta Springs Conservation
Reserve, Kakadu National Park,
Litchfield National Park, Longreach
Ecology
Emus can move large distances in
response to a decline in food or water
resources. They are probably more
sedentary in the north than the south of
the Territory. Emus are omnivorous,
taking seeds, fruits, insects and the
growing tips of plants. They often occur
in loose groups. The male incubates
the eggs and broods the chicks.
Conservation assessment
Barrett et al. (2002, 2003) reported a
significant national decline in the
reporting rate for the emu between the
first (1997-81) and second (1998-2001)
Australian bird atlases. The Northern
Territory showed an 80% decrease (the
largest of all states/territories).
However, it is difficult to compare the
Threatened Species Information Sheet
results of the two surveys as different
methods were used and the second
atlas covered a period with a
substantially different climate to that of
the first atlas. However, there is other
evidence from northern Australia of a
substantial decline. There are
consistent anecdotal reports of broadscale decline of emus in the Kimberley
and across the Top End (Yibarbuk and
Cooke 2001; Wiynjorrotj et al. 2005).
We have taken a precautionary
approach and listed the species as
Vulnerable (under criteria A2b) due to
an inferred reduction in population size
of >30% over the last 10 years or three
generations
Threatening processes
In the Top End, declining numbers may
be associated with the occurrence of
too frequent extensive fires. Such fires
lead to a reduction in food supplies,
particularly in the size and abundance
of plants that produce fleshy fruit, and in
the crop of fruit produced (Woinarski et
al. 2004). Fires at the wrong time of
year can also lead to destruction of
eggs, over the long incubation period
(50-60 days: Marchant and Higgins
1990). In Central Australia, declines
may also be related to altered fire
regimes or to vegetation change
associated with pastoralism.
It has ben suggested that the emu’s
decline in the Kimberley coincided with
the heavy use of 1080 dingo poison in
the pastoral industry (I. Morris pers.
comm.). However this would not
explain a decline in Arnhem Land where
1080 is not used.
Conservation objectives and
management
The main research priorities are to
assess the extent and causes of
decline, and to monitor populations.
Management priorities cannot be
determined until factors threatening the
species are more definitely determined.
However, a reduction in the extent and
frequency of fires is likely to benefit the
species.
Compiled by
Rob Taylor
John Woinarski
[April 2006]
References
Barrett, G., Silcocks, A., and Cunningham,
R. (2002). Supplementary Report no. 1
- comparison of Atlas 1 (1997-1981)
and Atlas 2 (1998-2001). In The Atlas
of Australian Birds (1998-2001). Report
to the Natural Heritage Trust. (Birds
Australia, Melbourne.)
Barrett, G., Silcocks, A., Barry, S.,
Cunningham, R., and Poulter, R.
(2003). The new atlas of Australian
birds. (Royal Australasian
Ornithologists Union, Melbourne.)
Marchant, S., and Higgins, P.J. (1990).
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand
and Antarctic birds. Vol. 1. Ratites to
Ducks. (Oxford University Press,
Melbourne).
Wiynjorrotj, P., Flora, S., Brown, N.D.,
Jatbula, P., Galmur, J., Katherine, M.,
Merlan, F., and Wightman, G. (2005).
Jawoyn plants and animals: Aboriginal
flora and fauna knowledge from
Nitmiluk National Park and the
Katherine area, northern Australia.
Northern Territory Botanical Bulletin no.
29. (NT Department of Natural
Resources Environment and the Arts,
Darwin.)
Woinarski, J.C.Z., Risler, J., and Kean, L.
(2004). The response of vegetation
and vertebrate fauna to 23 years of fire
exclusion in a tropical Eucalyptus open
forest, Northern Territory, Australia.
Austral Ecology 29, 156-176.
Yibarbuk, D., and Cooke, P. (2001). Fire,
fruit and emus. In Savanna burning:
understanding and using fire in
northern Australia. (eds R. Dyer, P.
Jacklyn, I. Partridge, J. Russell-Smith
and D. Williams.) p. 40. (Tropical
Savannnas CRC, Darwin.)