| Northern cassowary | |
|---|---|
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| AtBali Bird Park | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Infraclass: | Palaeognathae |
| Order: | Casuariiformes |
| Family: | Casuariidae |
| Genus: | Casuarius |
| Species: | C. unappendiculatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Casuarius unappendiculatus | |
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| Distribution of the northern cassowary | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
List
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Thenorthern cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus), also known as theone-wattled cassowary,single-wattled cassowary,[2] orgolden-necked cassowary, is a large, stocky flightless bird of northernNew Guinea. It is one of the three living species ofcassowary, alongside thedwarf cassowary and thesouthern cassowary. It is a member of the superorderPaleognathae.
Edward Blyth first identified the northern cassowary from a specimen from anaviary located inCalcutta,India, in 1860.[2] It is the most recently discovered of all the cassowary species.[4] The genus nameCasuarius is derived from theMalay wordkesuari "cassowary", while the species nameunappendiculatus refers to the species' single wattle.[5] Officially, there are nosubspecies, though some authors list several subspecies.[6][7]
The northern cassowary has a hard and stiff black plumage, blue facial skin and acasque on top of the head. It has a bright red or yellow coloured neck andwattle. The feet are huge and strong with long, dagger-like claw on its inner toe. The sexes are similar in appearance. 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 thecommon ostrich,Somali ostrich and thesouthern cassowary.[2] These birds measure 149 cm (4 ft10+1⁄2 in) long and stand 1.5–1.8 m (4 ft 11 in – 5 ft 11 in) in height.[2] Compared to the southern cassowary, the northern cassowary has a slightly shorterbill, at 12 to 13.7 cm (4.7 to 5.4 in), but a slightly longertarsal length, at 28 to 33.2 cm (11.0 to 13.1 in).[2]
Northern cassowaries are members of the familyCasuariidae, of which there are only four extant members: Three of them being the Cassowaries; the other the last remaining extant species ofemu. All present superficial similarities, along being largeflightless birds. The northern cassowary and the emu share homologous features. For example, both have a blue patch of colour on their face/neck, but the functions of these differ. The emu's patch is of a paler colour and is used as a form ofcamouflage where it is located. The northern cassowary's patch of blue is brighter, and is used for attracting mates.[citation needed]
An alternate classification was proposed in 2014 by Mitchell et al., based on analysis ofmitochondrial DNA. This splits off the Casuariidae into their own order, theCasuariformes, and includes only the cassowaries in the family Casuariidae, placing the emus in their own family,Dromaiidae.
The northern cassowary isendemic to the coastalswamps and lowlandrainforests of the islands ofNew Guinea (north of theCentral Cordillera and some areas west of theCendrawasih Bay, as far asRaja Ampat Regency),Yapen,[8]Batanta andSalawati, in the countries ofIndonesia and thePapua New Guinea.[9] They prefer to not inhabitelevations exceeding 490 m (1,610 ft) above sea level.[2]
| Location | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Batanta | Unknown | Declining |
| Papua New Guinea | Unknown | Declining |
| Salawati | Unknown | Declining |
| Waigeo | Unknown | Declining |
| Yapen | Unknown | Declining |
| Total | 2,500 to 10,000 | Declining |
As with othercassowaries, the northern cassowary is a shy and solitary bird. Their diet consists mainly of berries,[10] fruits[2] and small animals, such as mice, rats, frogs, snakes, lizards, smaller birds and a variety of small insects and snails. They will eat dead animals when they find them. The young have been observed to eat the feces of the males raising them and clutch mates. Adults will eat their own feces as it often contains undigested fruits.[10] They make grunting and hissing sounds, like other cassowaries.[9]
In the breeding season, thepolygamous female lays three to five green eggs on a well camouflaged nest prepared by the male; she then leaves the nest and eggs to find another mate. The male incubates the eggs and raises the chicks alone for about nine months.
Although subject to ongoing habitat loss and overhunting in some areas, as of 2017, the northern cassowary is evaluated asLeast concern on theIUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as population size estimates suggest that populations are actually larger than previously estimated. However, it is the most threatened of the three extant cassowary types as of 2022.[4] Hunting is still considered the biggest threat.[9] 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.[9]
