The emu may be flightless but it doesn’t stop it from wreaking havoc in Australia, and now abroad.

After the Australian Army fought a war against the world’s second-largest bird (and lost), one has forayed on to the mean US streets.

Locals in New Jersey report the mystery bird wandering through a suburban neighbourhood, and quickly called in animal services.

It was wrangled by officers and has been temporarily homed in a shelter.

But authorities have no idea where it came from.

“You don’t see too many stuff like this in Paterson, New Jersey,” John DeCando of Paterson Animal Control told WABC-TV.

“I mean, I’ve seen elephants running down the street. I’ve seen geese. I’ve seen just about everything.”

“But an emu like this, the lady said ‘it was like something from outer space’. So was it hilarious, yes, but thank God nobody got hurt.”

The emus are coming. Photo: Getty

It has been a big few weeks for the emu, with a feathered flock banned from an outback Queensland pub after a spate of bad behaviour.

The Yaraka Hotel, in remote south-west Queensland, has barricaded its entrances to keep the birds out.

The emus were hatched and raised in the town and have become a tourist highlight.

But the hotel’s owner, Chris Gimblett, said they had recently learned to climb the front steps and were causing havoc.

“We didn’t really want them becoming patrons in the hotel,” he said.

“Because when they do get in here, they behave a bit badly.”

Emus are known to target tourists, stealing food, drinks, car keys and generally making a mess.

“Their toileting [inside] is not particularly pleasant,” Mr Gimblett said.

“That’s the biggest problem, because they do toilet quite frequently.”

Rope barriers have been erected at the entrances, along with signs asking tourists to help keep the emus out.

“They still hang around each gate, hoping that they’ll be able to slip in when someone opens it up,” he said.

“But so far we are winning the war.”