Common Cassowary - Characteristics, food and habitat

The cassowary is a bird of great size without the ability to fly, such as ostriches or emues.Some consider it the most dangerous bird in the world, because of the powerful kicks they can tip when they feel threatened.

They are jungle birds, shy and difficult to see in freedom .Although this has changed due to human action on the jungle.In this Animals and Pets Online file, we will meet this beautiful bird, with a certain aspect of dinosaur, where it is from, how it lives or feeds.

Find out all about the common cassowary bird below:

Cassowary Origin

The cassowary ( Casuarius casuarius ) is a bird belonging to the Casuariidae family, like the emues.They are native to Papua New Guinea and Australia.They are considered living dinosaurs, because of their large size and type of feathers.The populations of cascades in freedom are diminishing due to the loss of their habitat and fragmentation.Their conservation status according to IUCN is vulnerable, but for the Australian government, this species is very threatened.

Cassowary Features

The two most easily distinguishable characteristics of the cassowary are its great size, reaching almost 2 meters high and 40 kilograms in weight, and its solid crest, called a helmet.It is gray in both females and males, although theirs is larger and brighter.The chicks lack a helmet.

On the neck hangs a red caruncular protuberance.The feathers cover the entire body with the exception of the neck, head and legs, they are primitive, black and thin, very similar to a hair.The skin of the head and neck is blue, removing the back area of the neck, which is red.The chick plumage alternates yellow and black stripes.

Their legs are very robust and strong, capable of giving strong blows if they are threatened and have no other escape.They have a claw on each foot very sharp that they use during territorial disputes or defensive behaviors.Their thick skin and the type of feathers protect them from the p tied from other cassowals or when they must cross the vegetation of the jungle, often thorny.

Discover also the white owl or common owl.

Cassowary Habitat

The habitat of the cassowary is the rainforest, its dense vegetation makes these animals difficult to observe.As with many other places on the planet, the rainforest of Australia and Papua New Guinea is being destroyed.strong> uncontrolled logging, agriculture and livestock are ending the habitat of the Cassowary and many other animals.Due to this, the cassowary can be seen circling urban areas, orchards and gardens in search of food.

They are mainly solitary animals and maintain a fixed territory throughout the year.

Cassowary Feeding

The cassowary is a mainly frugivora bird, it feeds on fruits that fall to the ground, but they can also eat snails, mushrooms or even small dead mammals that are found.Being solitary animals, they do not share the sources of food, so if two males meet, they will perform a series of antagonistic behaviors such as standing up, ruffling the feathers and hitting the ground, until one of the two leaves.If a female and a male are always found, the one who stay away, as females are more dominant.

Some of the plants and fungi that cassowals eat are toxic, but their digestive system is prepared to consume them.On the other hand, cassowals play a fundamental role in the seed dispersal within the jungle, having more relevance than dispersal mammals.

Cassowary Reproduction

The breeding season of the cascades includes the months from June to October .A female and a male meet and after a short courtship, copulate.Soon the female puts a average of four eggs in a nest made with vegetation on the ground and leaves, leaving the male totally in charge of the offspring, their incubation and breeding, until they are old enough to become independent.

The female can reproduce with several males. chicks are nidifugos , that is, within a few hours of getting out of the egg, they can walk and find food with their father, from whom they learn everything necessary for life alone.

Maybe you are interested in knowing also the common or European owl.

Bibliography

BirdLife International 2008.Casuarius casuarius.In: IUCN 2010.IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.Version 2010.1..Downloaded on 15 June 2010.
Bradford, MG, Dennis, AJ,&Westcott, DA (2008).Diet and dietary preferences of the southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) in North Queensland, Australia.Biotropica, 40 ( 3), 338-343.
Campbell, HA, Dwyer, RG, Fitzgibbons, S., Klein, CJ, Lauridsen, G., McKeown, A.,...&Westcott, DA ( 2012).Prioritising the protection of habitat utilized by southern cassowaries Casuarius casuarius johnsonii.Endangered Species Research, 17 (1), 53-61.
Crome, FHJ (1976).cassowary in northern Queensland.Emu, 76 (1), 8-14.
Gardner, DS (1984).A note on the androgynous qualities of the cassowary: or why the Mianmin say it is not a bird.Oceania, 55 (2), 137-145.
Stocker, GC,&Irvine, AK (1983).Seed dispersal by cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius) in North Queensland's rainforests.Biotropica, 170-176.

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