These large South American birds roam the open pampas and sparse woodlands of Argentina and Brazil.

The greater rhea is the largest of all South American birds and is related to ostriches and emus. These flightless birds use their long, powerful legs to outrun trouble. Although their large wings are useless for flight, they are used for balance and for changing direction as the bird runs.

Greater rheas are polygamous, so males have many different mates. Females lay their eggs—one every other day for a week or ten days—in a ground nest of the male's design. Several females deposit their eggs in the same nest, which may hold 50 eggs or more.

The male rhea incubates the eggs of all its mates for