What a fabulous bird is the emu,
Its long legs reach right to the ground;
They do nothing to help the bird fly,
But they sure as heck help it get around.

A bird that is native to Australia,
It sometimes grows 6 feet tall;
And although it just cannot fly,
It can run like the wind after all.

The bird is not really attractive,
Its colours are nearly all brown;
And the bird can be terribly timid,
And so very hard to run down.

The male of the species is henpecked,
For after the eggs have been laid,
He is the one who just sits them,
Until the new family is made.

The female gets things so easy,
She lays the eggs, just 'cause she can;
And after he does the hatching,
They are raised by the poor emu man.

The eggs are dark green and quite large,
About 4 inches long I would say;
And when they are carved by an expert,
Make a very pretty display.

They mainly live out on the plains,
And eat roots, nuts and some shrub;
Their nest is a hole in the ground,
Just scooped out, out there in the scrub.

So that is the tale of the emu,
And although it's on our coat of arms,
It's there because of its size, 
And not for its beauty or charms.