Let's meet this interesting looking bird, which is endemic to the New Guinea - Northern cassowary.
Northern cassowary
The northern cassowary has a hard and stiff black plumage, blue facial skin and a casque on top of the head. It has a bright red or yellow coloured 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 the female, at an average of 58 kg (128 lb), making it the fourth heaviest living bird species after the common ostrich, Somali ostrich and the southern cassowary. These birds measure 149 cm (4.89 ft) long and stand 1.5–1.8 m (4.9–5.9 ft) in height. 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 (11.0 to 13.1 in). The legs of the northern cassowary are large and strong, the inner toe has a dagger-shaped claw.
Like all cassowaries, the northern cassowary is a secretive solitary bird. The food of the orange-necked cassowary consists mainly of fruits and small animals.
During the breeding season, polygamous females lay three to five eggs in a well-camouflaged nest made by the male, after which they leave for another male. The males incubate the eggs and then raise the chicks for nine months.
Distribution
The northern cassowary is distributed and endemic to coastal swamp and lowland rainforests of northern New Guinea and the islands of Yapen, Batanta and Salawati. They prefer elevations below 490 m (1,610 ft).
Conservation
Although subject to ongoing habitat loss and overhunting in some areas, as of 2017 the northern cassowary is evaluated as Least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as population size estimates suggest that populations are actually larger than previously estimated. Hunting is still considered the biggest threat. 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. Their occurrence range is 186,000 km2 (72,000 sq mi) and a 2000 estimate placed their numbers at 9300.
That's it for today. See you all next time.
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