Double-wattled Cassowary

Casuarius casuarius

Also called the southern cassowary

Class

Aves

Order

Casuariformes

Family

Casuaridae

Range

Australia

Size

Size: Up to 6 ft tall
Weight: Up to 128 lbs

Habitat

Rainforests

Young

Clutch: 3 - 5 eggs
Incubation: About 50 days

Diet

Fruits, seeds, insects, small vertebrates, fungi

IUCN Status

Vulnerable

The cassowary belongs to a family of flightless birds called ratites.

This includes the cassowary, emu, rhea, kiwi, and ostrich.

Flightless Powerhouse

The cassowary has degenerative wings and cannot fly. Its flight feathers are reduced to coarse spines used to protect its flanks as it travels. Both sexes have a helmet-like structure on their heads called a casque. Cassowaries can run up to 30 mph and have three clawed toes on each foot.

The Rainforest's Gardener

By feasting on a wide variety of fruits, these powerful birds disperse seeds far and wide through their droppings. Hundreds of plant species can only sprout and grow after passing through a cassowary’s digestive system, making the cassowary a critical key to a healthy rainforest.

Parenting in the Rainforest

Double-wattled cassowaries tend to be solitary, only coming together to breed. Males are the sole caregivers, incubating the eggs by themselves and raising the chicks, which hatch after about two months.

Status

While the Southern Cassowary is globally listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, its populations are declining across much of its range, with fewer than 1,500 surviving in Australia.

The species is threatened by severe habitat fragmentation, which creates genetic bottlenecks that reduce long-term diversity. Other major risks include deforestation, vehicle strikes, poaching, and predation by dogs and feral pigs.

Double-wattled Cassowary