cassowary

The common cassowary of North Australia and New Guinea. The bird is well adapted to forest life, with long, hairlike quills that protect it from spines and prickles. The horny casque, or helmet, on the top of its head is used to force a path through thick undergrowth.

Large flightless bird, genus Casuarius, of the family Casuariidae, order Casuariiformes, found in New Guinea and northern Australia, usually in forests. Related to the emu, the cassowary has a bare head with a horny casque, or helmet, on top, and brightly-coloured skin on the neck. Its loose plumage is black and its wings tiny, but it can run and leap well and defends itself by kicking. Cassowaries stand up to 1.5 m/5 ft tall. They live in pairs and the male usually incubates the eggs, about six in number, which the female lays in a nest of leaves and grass.

The cassowary was put on the Australian endangered species list in 1999. It was then estimated that only 1,100 to 1,500 birds survived in north Queensland rainforests. The cassowary is also found in New Guinea.