26 September: Cassowaries

Today is World Cassowary Day, so here are 10 facts about these birds:

1. Cassowaries are flightless birds belonging to the genus Casuarius and the order Casuariiformes.

2. There are three species - the southern cassowary, the northern cassowary and the dwarf cassowary. There’s also an extinct species called the pygmy cassowary.

3. The Southern Cassowary is the most common, and is the third-tallest and second-heaviest living bird, smaller only than the Ostrich and Emu.

4. The name comes from the Papuan language, “kasu weri” meaning 'horned head'. Cassowaries have a horned structure on their heads known as a casque. Individual cassowaries can often be identified by their unique casque. There has been debate about the function of the structure. One plausible theory is that it helps regulate their body temperature.

5. Cassowaries are native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, The Moluccas, and northeastern Australia.

6. They’re thought to be one of the closest living relatives to Dinosaurs, partly because of the casque, but also their feet and respiratory structures.

7. Their favourite food is fruit, but they are omnivores and will eat just about anything including shoots and grass seeds, fungi, invertebrates, eggs, carrion, fish, and small vertebrates like rodents, small birds, Frogs, lizards, and Snakes. They are the only animals capable of eating some of the poisonous fruit in their habitat. When they eat fruit they swallow it whole and later poo out the seeds, making them important for the propagation of plant life.

8. They are generally solitary but come together briefly in the mating season. Once the female has laid her eggs, she clears off and leaves the male to build the nest, incubate the eggs and raise the chicks.

9. There’s evidence that cassowaries were domesticated in ancient times by the local tribes, rather like chickens today. They are the only indigenous Australasian animal known to have been partly domesticated by people prior to European arrival.

10. They have a reputation for being extremely dangerous and there are records of them killing humans. They are usually quite shy and will avoid people, just don’t mess with them, especially when they are raising young.

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