other names
Double-Wattled Cassowary, Southern Cassowary or Australian Cassowary

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DESCRIPTION

Sexes are similar in appearance, with female slightly larger and more brightly coloured and with a taller casque (helmut). Adults stand 1.5 to 3 metres, to top of head. Entire plumage is glossy black hair like feathers. Wings are rudimentary, reduced to a few long, bare quills. Head and neck are naked except for scattered bristles. Face dark becoming blue towards back, sides and front of neck blue, darker on lower neck.. A pair of red wattles hang from front of neck. Back of upper neck light blue grading below to bright red. On top of head a large, blade-shaped horny casque (helmut). Eye and bill very dark brown. Legs green-grey. Three toes, inner toe has nail elongated to a spike at about 120mm long.

Juvenile: Brown with heads an necks in adults colours but duller.

Voice: A variety of rumbles, booms, roars and hisses.

The Cassowary is restricted to tropical rainforests in north-eastern Queensland where it is considered to be fairly common. It is a solitary bird throughout most of the year and is sedentary. The Cassowary is not often seen, and is often heard first with its calls which sometimes sound like an approaching truck. If the bird is approached it stands quite still until the intruder gets too close when it will stretch itself as high as it can, raise all its feathers and give a loud hiss - this display is also carried out if another Cassowary gets too close. With the approach of breeding season, females become more tolerant and eventually form pairs with males of their choice. The pair remain together for a few weeks until the female is ready to lay. Before copulation, the male displays his throat trembling and swelling and emitting a series of low "boos". The male then leads the female a short distance where she squats and allows him to mount. After egg laying the females takes no more interest in the male or the eggs and leaves the male to incubate the eggs and rear the chicks. After eggs are laid the female will take to another male and lay another set of eggs. Incubation is around 2 months. The chicks grow rapidly and begin to lose their stripes after bout three months. By about six months of age the juvenile Cassowary has sub-adult plumage and the head and neck are beginning to colour. At nine months of age the young Cassowary is chased away by the father and is left to fend for itself. Full adult colour comes at about three years of age. The Cassowary can be very aggressive, particularly when protecting chicks. Well armed with sharp claws and the helmut, the Cassowary often charges opponents and kicks, but bouts are usually brief and not much damage is done. The Cassowary feeds on fallen fruit from rainforest trees and vines. At times of food shortage the Cassowary can enter gardens in search of food such as bananas and mulberries. Besides fruit, the Cassowary will eat almost any edible object including fungi, snails, dead birds and rats.