Rhea
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| phylum | Chordata | The rheas are ratites native to South America. There are two extant species: the Greater or American Rhea and the Lesser or Darwin's Rhea.
Rheas are large, flightless birds with grey-brown plumage, long legs and long necks, similar to an ostrich. Their wings are large for a flightless bird (250 cm (8.2 ft)) and are spread while running, to act like sails. Unlike most birds, rheas have only three toes. Their tarsus has 18 to 22 horizontal plates on the front of it. They also store urine separately in an expansion of the cloaca. For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Palaeognathae |
| clade | Diapsida | |
| Class | Aves | |
| order | Struthioniformes | |
| family | Rheidae | |
| genus | Rhea | |
| species | R. americana R. pennata |
