Greater Rheas prefer spacious open plains with low vegetation (under 50 cm) in which they can nest with some degree of cover and still be able run and feed while remaining effectively vigilant. The Greater Rhea lives in a variety of South American savanna habitats, especially in the tall grass steppe pampas, areas of the Chaco, and the dense grassland of Brazil's campos, interspersed with scrub and scattered trees bordering forests and farmlands.