Australia Once Lost a War to Birds (Yes, Really)

In 1932, the Australian military deployed soldiers with machine guns against an army of large, flightless birds. The birds won.

When Farming Meets Feathers

Picture this: You're a World War I veteran, promised fertile farmland in Western Australia for your service. You work hard, plant your wheat, and then watch in horror as 20,000 emus descend on your crops like a plague of six-foot-tall locusts with legs.

Emus, for those unfamiliar, are basically dinosaurs that forgot to go extinct. They can run 30 mph, jump fences, and apparently organize military campaigns.

Send in the Troops (No, Seriously)

The farmers begged for help. The government's response? Deploy the military. Because nothing says "agricultural pest control" like Lewis machine guns and seasoned soldiers.

Major G.P.W. Meredith led the assault with two soldiers and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. The goal? Thin out the emu population. The reality? One of military history's most embarrassing defeats.

The Emus Had Strategy

Here's where it gets good. The emus didn't just run—they adapted:

• They posted sentries. Actual lookout birds that warned the mob when soldiers approached
• They scattered into small guerrilla units, making mass casualties impossible
• They learned the range of the guns and stayed just outside it
• One emu reportedly took FIVE bullets and kept running like some kind of feathered Terminator

Meredith later commented that the emus could "face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks."

The Final Score

After six days of combat:

• Rounds fired: 2,500
• Confirmed emu casualties: Maybe 200
• Dignity remaining: Zero

The military withdrew. A second attempt weeks later went slightly better—they claimed 1,000 kills with 10,000 rounds. That's a 10% accuracy rate against birds that can't fly.

The Aftermath

The emus kept their territory. The farmers got better fences. And Australia gained the eternal distinction of being the only nation to lose a war against birds.

The best part? When asked about the operation, ornithologist Dominic Serventy perfectly summed it up: "The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic."

Even the scientists were giving the emus credit for military genius.

Next time you're having a bad day, remember: At least you're not the country that lost a war to birds.