Lesser Rhea Rhea pennata Scientific name definitions

The Lesser Rhea is one of two species in the Rheidae, a family which is confined to South America. Ostrich-like, both rheas are flightless but are adept runners, reaching speeds of more than 60 km/h. The smaller of the two species, the Lesser Rhea inhabits high-altitude puna in southern Peru and northern Chile, as well as shrub-steppe and grassland in southern Chile and southern Argentina. The smooth, plumulaceous feathers of this species are brown, extensively tipped with white on the upperparts. Male rheas are simultaneously polygynous, mating with several females which then deposit their eggs in a single nest for him to tend, whereas the females are serially polyandrous, mating with and laying eggs for several males over the course of a season.