Southern Cassowary

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Southern Cassowary

Conservation status

Vulnerable (IUCN)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Struthioniformes
Family:	Casuariidae
Genus:	Casuarius
Species:	C. casuarius
Subspecies:	C. c. aruensis C. c. bicarunculatus C. c. bistriatus C. c. casuarius C. c. johnsonni C. c. lateralis C. c. sclaterii C. c. tricarunculatus C. c. violicollis

Binomial name

Casuarius casuarius
Linnaeus, 1758

Distribution of the Southern Cassowary

The Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius also known as Double-wattled Cassowary is a large, up to 170cm long, flightless black bird with hard and stiff plumage, a brown casque, blue face and neck, red nape and two red wattles hanging down its throat. The three-toed feet are thick and powerful, equipped with a lethal dagger-like claw on the inner toe. The plumage is sexually monomorphic, but the female is dominant and larger with a longer casque and brighter-colored bare parts. The immature bird has plain brown plumage.

The largest member of the Cassowary family, this species is distributed in tropical rainforests of Aru and Seram Islands of Indonesia, New Guinea and northeastern Australia. It forages on the forest floor for fallen fruit.

The Southern Cassowary is a solitary bird, that pairs only in breeding season. The male builds a nest on the ground. He also incubates the eggs and raises the chicks.

Due to ongoing habitat lost and overhunting in some areas, the Southern Cassowary is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

[edit] Gallery

At the Henry Doorly Zoo

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2004). Casuarius casuarius. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 1 November 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable