Illustration of rhea
: any of three South American ratite birds (Rhea americana, R. pennata, and R. tarapacensis of the family Rheidae) that resemble but are smaller than the African ostrich and that have three toes, a fully feathered head and neck, an undeveloped tail, and pale gray to brownish feathers that droop over the rump and back
Examples of rhea in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Extreme weather with hail as large as softballs hit a zoo in Missouri on Tuesday, April 28, killing a female emu and injuring a male rhea.
—
Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
And Oscar, a 17-year-old type of flightless bird called a rhea, was injured by the hail but was receiving pain medication and doing well Wednesday morning, as the zoo remained closed.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
An emu at Springfield’s Dickerson Park Zoo was killed during the hail storm and a rhea, a large bird similar to an emu, was injured, the zoo posted on social media.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Watch the towers play hide and seek as clouds shift with the wind and keep an eye out for guanacos and rheas who come close to the lodge.
—Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Or just pay close attention to the time-lapse footage of emerging cicadas or the cavorting manatees or the Darwin’s rhea, a South American ostrich that happens to be from one of the few species in the documentary that let males raise their kids.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2025
Eggshell fragments of rheas have been found at South American archaeological sites dating back to 8,000 years BP.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
What to Do Travelers flock to Patagonia to experience the otherworldly beauty of Torres del Paine National Park and spot Patagonia’s wildlife, including the Big Five: pumas, llama-like guanacos, South Andean deer known as huemul, Andean condors, and the ostrich-like rhea (or ñandú).
—Nora Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2023
Ellen has also interrupted Blake’s TikToks to stare curiously at the phone — as has Princess, an affectionate deer, and Regina, a curious rhea.
—Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 16 July 2022
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Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
And Oscar, a 17-year-old type of flightless bird called a rhea, was injured by the hail but was receiving pain medication and doing well Wednesday morning, as the zoo remained closed.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
An emu at Springfield’s Dickerson Park Zoo was killed during the hail storm and a rhea, a large bird similar to an emu, was injured, the zoo posted on social media.
—Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Watch the towers play hide and seek as clouds shift with the wind and keep an eye out for guanacos and rheas who come close to the lodge.
—Sarah Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
Or just pay close attention to the time-lapse footage of emerging cicadas or the cavorting manatees or the Darwin’s rhea, a South American ostrich that happens to be from one of the few species in the documentary that let males raise their kids.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2025
Eggshell fragments of rheas have been found at South American archaeological sites dating back to 8,000 years BP.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
What to Do Travelers flock to Patagonia to experience the otherworldly beauty of Torres del Paine National Park and spot Patagonia’s wildlife, including the Big Five: pumas, llama-like guanacos, South Andean deer known as huemul, Andean condors, and the ostrich-like rhea (or ñandú).
—Nora Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2023
Ellen has also interrupted Blake’s TikToks to stare curiously at the phone — as has Princess, an affectionate deer, and Regina, a curious rhea.
—Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 16 July 2022
Cite this Entry
“Rhea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhea. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rhea
noun
: either of two large three-toed South American birds that cannot fly and resemble but are smaller than the African ostrich
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