Northern Cassowary
Encyclopedia
The Northern Cassowary, Casuarius unappendiculatus, also known as the Single (One)-wattled Cassowary or Gold(en)-neck(ed) Cassowary, is a large, stocky flightless bird.
for cassowary. unappendiculatus means unus, one, appendicis, appendage, -culus, diminutive, and -atus, provided with: cassowary provided with one small appendage, referring to the single wattle. Officially, there are no sub-species, however, some authors list several sub-species.
Edward Blyth
first identified the Northern Cassowary from a specimen from an aviary
located in Calcutta, India
., in 1860.
The Northern Cassowary shares an analogous feature with the Aptenodytes forsteri, also known as The Emperor Penguin. 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 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.
to coastal swamp and lowland rainforests of northern New Guinea
and the islands of Yapen
, Batanta
and Salawati
. They prefer elevations below 490 m (1,607.6 ft).
, it is a shy and solitary bird. Their diet consists mainly of fruits and small animals. They make grunting and hissing sounds, like other cassowaries.
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.
on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species, with hunting being 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 186000 km² (71,815 sq mi) and a 2000 estimate placed their numbers at 9300.
Taxonomy
It's binomial name Casuarius unappendiculatus, can be broken down to Casuarius is kesuari MalayMalay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
for cassowary. unappendiculatus means unus, one, appendicis, appendage, -culus, diminutive, and -atus, provided with: cassowary provided with one small appendage, referring to the single wattle. Officially, there are no sub-species, however, some authors list several sub-species.
Edward Blyth
Edward Blyth
Edward Blyth was an English zoologist and pharmacist. He was one of the founders of zoology in India....
first identified the Northern Cassowary from a specimen from an aviary
Aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages...
located in Calcutta, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
., in 1860.
Description
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 37 kilograms (81.6 lb), is smaller than female, at 58 kilograms (127.9 lb). These birds are between 165 to 175 cm (65 to 68.9 in) in height.Phylogeny
Casuariidae is the family of the Northern Cassowary. There are only four members of this family, three of them are Cassowary’s, 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. Emu’s were formerly classified in a different family, until it was decided that they are alike enough to the Cassowary’s 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 shares an analogous feature with the Aptenodytes forsteri, also known as The Emperor Penguin. 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 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
The Northern Cassowary is distributed and endemicEndemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
to coastal swamp and lowland rainforests of northern New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and the islands of Yapen
Yapen
Yapen is an island of western New Guinea, Indonesia. The Yapen Strait separates Yapen and the Biak Islands to the north. It is in Cenderawasih Bay. To the west is Mios Num Strait between it and Mios Num Island, and the east Kurudu Island. The southeast are the Amboi Islands and the southwest...
, Batanta
Batanta
Batanta is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Papua province, Indonesia. Its area is 453 km² and its highest point is 1184 m.- Fauna :The following mammals are found on the island:...
and Salawati
Salawati
Salawati is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua , Indonesia. Its area is 1623 km². The other main islands in the archipelago are Misool, Batanta and Waigeo....
. They prefer elevations below 490 m (1,607.6 ft).
| Location | Population | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands... |
Unknown | Declining |
| Yapen Yapen Yapen is an island of western New Guinea, Indonesia. The Yapen Strait separates Yapen and the Biak Islands to the north. It is in Cenderawasih Bay. To the west is Mios Num Strait between it and Mios Num Island, and the east Kurudu Island. The southeast are the Amboi Islands and the southwest... |
Unknown | Declining |
| Batanta Batanta Batanta is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in Papua province, Indonesia. Its area is 453 km² and its highest point is 1184 m.- Fauna :The following mammals are found on the island:... |
Unknown | Declining |
| Salawati Salawati Salawati is one of the four major islands in the Raja Ampat Islands in West Papua , Indonesia. Its area is 1623 km². The other main islands in the archipelago are Misool, Batanta and Waigeo.... |
Unknown | Declining |
| Waigeo Waigeo Waigeo is an island in West Papua province of eastern Indonesia. The island is also known as Amberi, or Waigiu. It is the largest of the four main islands in the Raja Ampat Islands archipelago, between Halmahera and about 65 km to the northwest coast of New Guinea... |
Unknown | Declining |
| Total | 2,500 to 10,000 | Declining |
Behavior
As with other cassowariesCassowary
The cassowaries are ratites, very large flightless birds in the genus Casuarius native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia. There are three extant species recognized today...
, it is a shy and solitary bird. Their diet consists mainly of fruits and small animals. They make grunting and hissing sounds, like other cassowaries.
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
Due to ongoing habitat lost and overhunting in some areas, the Northern Cassowary is evaluated as VulnerableVulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species, with hunting being 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 186000 km² (71,815 sq mi) and a 2000 estimate placed their numbers at 9300.
External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet
- IUCN Red List
- Red Data Book
- Northern Cassowary videos, photos and sounds on the Internet Bird Collection