Southern Cassowary
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[Photo] Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius. Date 19. Jun 2003, 5:32. Author: Jaap Folmer http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gebruiker:Jcwf

The Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, also known as Double-wattled Cassowary or Two-wattled Cassowary, is a large flightless black bird with hard and stiff plumage, a brown casque, blue face and neck, red nape and two red wattles hanging down its throat. The three-toed feet are thick and powerful, equipped with a lethal dagger-like claw on the inner toe. The plumage is sexually monomorphic, but the female is dominant and larger with a longer casque and brighter-colored bare parts. The immature bird has plain brown plumage.

It is the largest member of the Cassowary family and is the second heaviest bird on earth, at a maximum size estimated at 85 kg (187 lbs) and 190 cm (74 inches). The Southern Cassowary is distributed in tropical rainforests of Aru and Seram Islands of Indonesia, New Guinea and northeastern Australia. It forages on the forest floor for fallen fruit.

The Southern Cassowary is a solitary bird, that pairs only in breeding season. The male builds a nest on the ground. He also incubates the eggs and raises the chicks.

Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range and overhunting in some areas, the Southern Cassowary is evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Cassowary

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