2. Rheas:--

a.Greater Rhea Rhea americana

Described by: Linnaeus (1758)
Alternate common name(s): Common Rhea

Range
Ec. and se. South America.

(1) Ne. to se. Brazil (w. Bahia (grasslands of the San Francisco Valley and Curaca), s. Para (savannas of Mundurucu), Maranhao, Piaui, formerly Ceara , formerly Rio Grande do Norte s. to Sao Paulo, Goias and s. Mato Grosso at Vacaria).

(2) Ex. se. Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul (Barra do Quarai) to ca 45km w. of Vacaria) and Uruguay (Banados del Este), but absent from forested areas and even areas from which forests have been cleared.

(3) E. Paraguay (e. of the Rio Paraguay, Capitan Bado, Horqueta, Rosario).

(4) Sw. Brazil (s. Mato Grosso (Pantanal, Chapada dos Guimaraes)), w. Paraguay (Chaco) to n. and e. Bolivia (Beni, Santa Cruz, Tarija).

(5) Ne. and e. Argentina s. to the Rio Negro and w. to Cordoba and Santiago del Estero. Birds in the Mato Grosso and e. Bolivia may be this race rather than (4).

b. Lesser Rhea Rhea pennata:

Described by: d'Orbigny (1834)
Alternate common name(s): Darwin's Rhea, Puna Rhea
Old scientific name(s): Pterocnemia pennata

Range
Cw. South America; Se. South America;
Two populations:
(1) E. slope of the Andes in ex. se. Peru (Moquegua and w. Puno), sw. Bolivia (La Paz, Potosi, Oruro), s. to nw. Argentina (Jujuy, Catamarca, San Juan in the Reserva San Guillermo and Laguna Blanca).
(2) Andes in ex. sw. Peru to n. Chile (Arica, Antofagasta, Tarapaca to Atacama at Alto Huasco).
(3) C. Chile (s. Aisen, Torres del Paine National Park, Punta Arenas (Seno Otway)), wc. and s. Argentina from s. Mendoza, Neuquen, Rio Negro s. to Patagonia and the Straits of Magellan. Introduced to n. Tierra del Fuego (n. Isla Grande) in 1936 and apparently well established.