Leslie Massey
The Southern Cassowary, also known as the double-wattled cassowary, Australian cassowary, or two-wattled cassowary, is a large flightless bird found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northeastern Australia. It is one of three living species of cassowary, alongside the dwarf cassowary and the northern cassowary. Cassowaries are found in rainforests, woodlands, melaleuca swamps, mangroves, and even beaches. They are an important part of the ecosystem as they disperse seeds over large distances, helping to maintain the diversity of the rainforest. While they are typically shy birds, increasing urbanisation has led to more human-cassowary interactions. Cassowaries are considered a 'keystone' species, and protecting their habitat and food sources is crucial for the well-being of many other plant and animal species in the rainforest.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Are cassowaries found outside Australia? | Yes, cassowaries are found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and some surrounding islands. |
| Where in Australia are cassowaries found? | Cassowaries are found in Queensland, Australia, specifically in the Wet Tropics and Cape York. They are also found in urbanized areas of Queensland, such as Port Moresby. |
| What type of habitat do they prefer? | Cassowaries are typically found in tropical rainforests, melaleuca swamps, mangrove forests, and woodlands. They are also known to forage along beaches. |
| What is their diet? | Cassowaries are frugivores and eat a variety of fruits, small vertebrates (such as snails and frogs), invertebrates, fungi, carrion, and plants. They play a crucial role in seed dispersal and forest regeneration. |
| Are they endangered? | The Southern Cassowary subspecies in Australia is listed as Endangered under federal and Queensland state legislation and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. |
| What are their physical characteristics? | Cassowaries are large flightless birds, with stiff, bristly black plumage, a blue face and neck, and red wattles. They have powerful three-toed feet with a large claw. They can grow up to 1.8-1.9 meters in height and weigh up to 76-85 kg. |
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What You'll Learn
Southern Cassowary subspecies
The Southern Cassowary, also known as the double-wattled cassowary, Australian cassowary, or two-wattled cassowary, is a large flightless black bird. It is one of three living species of cassowary, alongside the dwarf cassowary and the northern cassowary. The Southern Cassowary is distributed in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northeastern Australia.
The Southern Cassowary is Australia's heaviest bird, weighing up to 76 kg, and reaching 1.8 m in height. It is a ratite, a large flightless bird with unusual feathers and other features that distinguish it from all other birds. The Southern Cassowary is a shy bird found in the deep forest, particularly in tropical rainforests, melaleuca (paperbark) swamps, and mangrove forests.
The Southern Cassowary has stiff, bristly black plumage, a blue face, and a long neck with red wattles. The female is larger and more brightly coloured than the male. Adult Southern Cassowaries are 1.5 to 1.8 m tall, although some females may reach 2 m, and weigh 58.5 kg. They are capable swimmers and are known to swim across rivers and into the sea to escape dog attacks.
The Southern Cassowary plays an important role in dispersing seeds throughout the Wet Tropics in Queensland. They are known as 'rainforest gardeners', as they eat fruits whole and spread seeds over large distances, contributing to the regeneration of forests. Many plant species, especially those with large seeds, rely on Southern Cassowaries for seed dispersal and germination.
In Australia, the Southern Cassowary subspecies Casuarius casuarius johnsonii is found in far north Queensland's tropical rainforests, melaleuca swamps, and mangrove forests. They are now limited to isolated populations in the Wet Tropics and Cape York. The Southern Cassowary is listed as Endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Queensland state legislation.
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Habitat and food sources
Cassowaries are native to the tropical rainforests of New Guinea, nearby smaller islands, East Nusa Tenggara, the Maluku Islands, and northeastern Australia. They are the island's largest and most dominant bird, with no natural enemies other than humans. They are also found in Indonesia, where they inhabit the rainforests of Papua, particularly in lowland and montane areas.
Cassowaries are solitary birds, living exclusively in tropical rainforests. They are territorial, with a home range of up to 2.35 square kilometres. They require a diverse range of habitats to ensure the availability of fleshy fruits year-round, including tropical rainforests, melaleuca (paperbark) swamps, and mangrove forest woodlands. They can even be found foraging along beaches and are capable swimmers, known to swim across rivers and into the sea to escape dog attacks.
The southern cassowary, the most common species, is the third-tallest and second-heaviest living bird, weighing up to 76 kg and reaching 1.8 m in height. They are known as 'rainforest gardeners' as they eat fruits whole and spread seeds over great distances, playing an important role in the regeneration of forests. They are the only animal able to ingest large rainforest fruits whole, and many plant species rely on them for seed dispersal and germination. During the wet season, when fruit is less plentiful, they supplement their diet with fungi, flowers, and some parts of ferns.
In urbanised areas, cassowaries have adapted to feed on non-natural and non-native foods, such as food from picnic tables and backyard bird feeders. They are known to eat non-edible items, and their droppings have been found to contain unusual items such as the remains of a honeyeater, coloured building blocks, marbles, and a small plastic car. They also consume roadkill, such as discarded fish and bandicoots. In captivity, they primarily eat dog or monkey food.
Cassowaries face several threats to their survival, including habitat loss and fragmentation due to deforestation, hunting, and human presence. Hand-feeding lures them into suburban areas, making them more vulnerable to vehicle collisions and dog attacks. They are also threatened by feral pigs, which compete for food sources and destroy nests and eggs. Conservation efforts are being carried out to protect their natural habitats and enforce regulations against illegal hunting.
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Population and endangerment
The cassowary is a large flightless bird, native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby smaller islands, East Nusa Tenggara, the Maluku Islands, and northeastern Australia. It is Australia's heaviest bird, weighing up to 76kg and reaching heights of 1.8m. The southern cassowary, the most common of the three living species of cassowary, is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northeastern Australia. The other two species are the northern cassowary and the dwarf cassowary.
In Australia, the southern cassowary is found in far north Queensland's tropical rainforests, melaleuca swamps, and mangrove forests. They require a diverse range of habitats to ensure the availability of fleshy fruits year-round. They are also capable swimmers, known to swim across rivers and into the sea to escape dog attacks.
The Australian population of the southern cassowary is listed as Endangered under federal and Queensland state legislation. Globally, however, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has lifted the status of Southern Cassowaries from Vulnerable to Least Concern. This discrepancy may be due to the fact that the Australian cassowary population is facing unique threats that are impacting their numbers.
Cassowary populations in Australia have faced challenges due to increasing urbanisation, with human-cassowary interactions becoming more frequent and dangerous. They are also threatened by vehicles, wild boars, domesticated dogs, and feral animals eating their eggs. In addition, road-building and hunting are considered major threats to their survival.
While the exact number of southern cassowaries in Australia is unknown, a 2002 study estimated there were between 1,500 and 2,500 individuals. A draft recovery plan to save the species was published by the federal government in June 2023, which estimated the population to be around 5,000 individuals at that time. Conservation efforts to protect this species include preserving natural habitats and enforcing regulations against illegal hunting.
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Human-Cassowary interaction
Cassowaries are typically shy birds that are found in deep forests. They are very wary of humans and adept at disappearing long before a human knows of their presence. They are also aggressive towards dogs, presumably because feral dogs and dingos prey on them. They are also capable of inflicting serious, sometimes fatal, injuries on humans. They have three-toed feet with sharp claws, and the inner toe has a dagger-like claw that is about 125 mm (5 inches) long. They can run at speeds of up to 50 km/h (30 mph) and jump up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 inches). They can also swim and have been observed crossing wide rivers and swimming in the sea.
Cassowaries are found in extremely urbanised areas where they used to naturally live, such as Queensland, Australia, and Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. The local cassowary population has adapted to the less forested grounds, and urbanisation has increased the likelihood of human-cassowary interaction. Cassowaries in these environments have changed their diets, consuming a greater proportion of fruits from exotic plants but still including fruits from native plants. They are also known to eat non-edible items, as evidenced by urban cassowary droppings that contained the skeletal remains of a honeyeater, a child's coloured building blocks, marbles, and a small plastic car from a cereal packet.
Cassowaries are important for maintaining the diversity of rainforest trees. They are one of the few fruit-eaters that can disperse large rainforest fruits and are the only species that can carry large-seeded fruits over long distances. They swallow the fruit whole and pass the seeds unharmed in their dung, distributing them throughout the rainforest. Some rainforest seeds even require the southern cassowary digestive process to germinate.
Human feeding has modified cassowary behaviour, and they are now bolder and more aggressive in expecting food from humans. They may run up to or chase people, sometimes kicking if no food is offered. Most attacks are due to the association of humans with food, either as a territorial reaction or a defensive measure to protect themselves or their chicks and eggs.
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Northern Cassowary and Dwarf Cassowary
Cassowaries are large, flightless birds that are native to Australia and New Guinea. While the Southern Cassowary is found in Australia, the Northern Cassowary and Dwarf Cassowary are native to New Guinea and Indonesia.
The Northern Cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus) is a large bird, weighing between 30 to 58 kg (66 to 128 lb). They are members of the family Casuariidae, which also includes emus. Northern cassowaries are endemic to the coastal swamps and lowland rainforests of the islands of New Guinea, Yapen, Batanta, and Salawati, in the countries of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. They have a bright red or yellow neck and wattle, with a blue patch on their face used for attracting mates. Their diet consists of berries, fruits, and small animals, and they are known to eat their own feces, which often contains undigested fruits. Northern cassowaries are shy and solitary birds, and they are evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The Dwarf Cassowary (Casuarius bennetti), also known as Bennett's cassowary, is the smallest of the three extant species of cassowaries. It is a large bird, with a size between 99 and 150 cm (3 ft 3 in and 4 ft 11 in) and a weight between 17.6 and 26 kg (39 and 57 lb). They are endemic to the montane cloud forests and tropical rainforests of the island of New Guinea, which is divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. They are also found in the Bismarck Archipelago, including the islands of New Britain and Yapen Island in Indonesia. The Dwarf Cassowary has a black plumage, a low triangular casque, a pink cheek, and red patches of skin on its blue neck. Their diet consists mainly of fallen fruits, small animals, and insects, and they use their crest to sort through leaf litter for food. The Dwarf Cassowary is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to habitat loss, degradation, and hunting.
While the Southern Cassowary is the only species found in Australia, the Northern Cassowary and Dwarf Cassowary are native to the island of New Guinea and surrounding areas. These birds play a critical ecological role in seed dispersal and regeneration of forests in protected areas. They are both large and flightless, with similar diets and habitats, but differ in size and some physical characteristics.
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Frequently asked questions
No, cassowaries are also found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and some surrounding islands. The Southern Cassowary is the only species of cassowary found in Australia.
The Southern Cassowary is found in the tropical rainforests of north-east Queensland, from Paluma Range (north of Townsville) to the tip of Cape York. They are also found in the Wet Tropics and Cape York.
The Southern Cassowary is a large seed-dispersing bird that plays an important role in maintaining the diversity of the rainforest. They are also known as 'rainforest gardeners' as they disperse the seeds of rainforest trees over long distances.
