The Northern Cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus) also known as the Single (One)-wattled Cassowary ^[2] or Gold(en)-neck(ed) Cassowary, is a large, stocky flightless bird.

Taxonomy [edit]

Edward Blyth first identified the Northern Cassowary from a specimen from an aviary located in Calcutta, India., in 1860.^[2] The genus name Casuarius is derived from the Malay word kesuari "cassowary", while the species name unappendiculatus refers to the species' single wattle.^[3] Officially, there are no subspecies, though some authors list several subspecies.^[4][5]

Description [edit]

It has hard and stiff black plumage, blue facial skin and a casque on top of the head. It has a bright red or yellow colored neck and wattle. The feet are huge and strong with long, dagger-like claw on its inner toe. The sexes are similar. The male, at 30 to 37 kg (66 to 82 lb), is smaller than female, at an average of 58 kg (128 lb), making it the worlds third heaviest living bird species after the Ostrich and the similarly-sized Southern Cassowary.^[2] These birds measure 149 cm (4.9 ft) long and stand 1.5–1.8 m (4.9–5.9 ft) in height.^[2] Compared to the Southern Cassowary, the Northern Cassowary has a slightly shorter bill, at 12 to 13.7 cm (4.7 to 5.4 in), but a slightly longer tarsal length, at 28 to 33.2 cm (11 to 13.1 in).^[2]

Phylogeny [edit]

Casuariidae is the family of the Northern Cassowary. There are only four members of this family, three of them are Cassowaries, and the other member is the only remaining species of Emu. As you can probably guess from the above information, all four species of bird are quite similar. Emus were formerly classified in a different family, until it was decided that they are alike enough to the Cassowaries that they could be classified in the same family. All four members of the Casuariidae family are large and also flightless birds. The Northern Cassowary has an analogous feature with the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri). The Northern Cassowary and the Emperor Penguin are indeed from separate families, though both of them possess wings, but incidentally cannot fly. The structure is the same: a forearm and finger-like bones that are covered by their wing. Although the two species are incredibly dissimilar, this similarity between them serves the same function. The Northern Cassowary and the Emu also share homologous features. For example, both the Northern Cassowary and the Emu have a blue patch of colour on their face/neck, but the functions of these differ. The Emu’s patch of fur is of a paler colour, and is used as a form of camouflage where it is located. The Northern Cassowary’s patch of blue is brighter, and is used for attracting mates.

Range and habitat [edit]

The Northern Cassowary is distributed and endemic to coastal swamp and lowland rainforests of northern New Guinea and the islands of Yapen,^[6] Batanta and Salawati.^[7] They prefer elevations below 490 m (1,610 ft).^[2]

Behaviour [edit]

As with other cassowaries, it is a shy and solitary bird. Their diet consists mainly of fruits ^[2] and small animals. They make grunting and hissing sounds, like other cassowaries.^[7]

In breeding season, the polygamous female lays three to five green eggs on a well camouflaged nest prepared by male, she leaves the nest and eggs to find another mate. The male raises the chicks alone for about nine months.

Conservation [edit]

Due to ongoing habitat lost and overhunting in some areas, the Northern Cassowary is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,^[1] with hunting being the biggest threat.^[7] Native people use the bones and eggs, and take the chicks to be raised for meat. As logging opens up more areas of the forest, hunting will be more of a problem.^[1][2] Their occurrence range is 186,000 km² (72,000 sq mi) and a 2000 estimate placed their numbers at 9300.^[7]

Gallery [edit]

• Head and neck
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Notes [edit]

References [edit]

• Avibase
• BirdLife International (2008). "Northern Cassowary - BirdLife Species Factsheet". Data Zone. Retrieved 6 February 2009. 
• Brands, Sheila (14 August 2008). "Systema Naturae 2000 / Classification, Casuarius unappendiculatus". Project: The Taxonomicon. Retrieved 4 February 2009. 
• Clements, James (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World (6 ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-4501-9. 
• Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Cassowaries". In Hutchins, Michael. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2 ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 75–77, 80. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0. 
• Gotch, A.F. (1995) [1979]. "Cassowaries". Latin Names Explained. A Guide to the Scientific Classifications of Reptiles, Birds & Mammals. London: Facts on File. pp. 178–179. ISBN 0-8160-3377-3.