Main Entry: rhea

Pronunciation: \ˈrē-ə\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin, genus of birds, probably from Latin Rhea, mother of Zeus, from Greek

Date: 1797

: either of two South American ratite birds (Rhea americana and Pterocnemia pennata 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

[rhea illustration]