THE DANGER BIRD IN THE WORLD

Southern cassowary description

Cassowaries are large, flightless birds that are related to emus and found only in Australia and New Guinea . The southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) has glossy black plumage and a bright blue neck, with red coloring at the nape.

Two wattles of bare, red colored skin hang down from the throat. Cassowaries have stout, powerful legs and long feet with 3 toes; the inner toe on each foot has a sharp claw that can reach up to 80 millimeters in length .

The name cassowary comes from a Papuan name meaning ‘horned head’, referring to the helmet of tough skin borne on the crown of the head. This helmet (or casque) slopes backwards and is used to push through vegetation as the cassowary runs through the rainforest with its head down.

 It also reflects age and dominance. The sexes are similar in appearance, although females tend to be larger and heavier. Chicks are striped black and cream, fading to brown after around five months. The adult coloring and casque begin to develop between two and four years of age .

Size

Height: 1.3 - 1.7 m 

Female weight: up to 60 kg 

Male weight: 35 kg 

Behavior

It forages  on the forest floor for fallen fruit and is capable of safely digesting some fruits toxic to other animals. They also eat fungi, and some insects and small vertebrates. The southern cassowary is a solitary bird, that pairs only in breeding season, which takes place in late winter or spring. 

The male builds a nest on the ground, a mattress of herbaceous plant material 5 to 10 centimeters (2–4 in) thick and up to 100 centimeters (39 in) wide. This is thick enough to let moisture drain away from the eggs. The male also incubates the eggs and raises the chicks alone. A clutch of three or four eggs are laid measuring 138 by 95 millimeters (5.4 in × 3.7 in). They have a granulated surface and are initially bright pea-green in color although they fade with age.

They make a booming call during mating season and hissing and rumblings otherwise. Chicks will make frequent high-pitches whistles to call the male.

The blade-like claws are capable of killing humans and dogs if the bird is provoked.

                      SOME FACTS OF SOUTHERN  CASSOWARY

1. The southern cassowary is a large, flightless bird with a helmet of tough skin on its head, used to push through vegetation in the rainforest.
2. It was voted the most dangerous bird in the world by Guinness Book of World Records
3. The Southern Cassowary is the heaviest extant bird in the world. It is second tallest after the ostrich.
4. The southern cassowary got its name from a Papuan word meaning ‘horned head’. 
5. Despite its fearsome reputation, sharp claws and powerful kick, the southern cassowary feeds almost entirely on fruit.
6. A cassowary's three-toed feet have sharp claws; the dagger-like middle claw is 120 mm (5 inches) long. This claw is particularly dangerous since the Cassowary can use it to kill an enemy, disemboweling it with a single kick.
7. The female southern cassowary is dominant over the male, and it is the male who incubates the eggs and cares for the chicks.
8. They can run up to 50 km/h (32 mph) through the dense forest.
9. They can jump up to 1.5 m (5 feet) and they are good swimmers.
10. They can lash out with their powerful legs.
11. Usually, attacks are the result of provocation. Wounded or cornered birds are particularly dangerous. Cassowaries, deftly using their surroundings to conceal their movements, have been known to out-flank organized groups of human predators. Cassowaries are considered to be one of the most dangerous animals to keep in zoos, based on the frequency and severity of injuries incurred by zookeepers.