Cassowary

Description:

The cassowaries are ratites, very large flightless birds in the genus Casuarius native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and north-eastern Australia. There are three extant species recognized today. The most common of these, the Southern Cassowary, is the third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu. Cassowaries feed mainly on fruit, although all species are truly omnivorous and will take a range of other plant food including shoots, grass seeds, and fungi in addition to invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Habitat:

Tropical rainforest.

Notes:

Cassowaries are very shy, but when disturbed, they are capable of inflicting serious injuries to dogs and people. I stay with the bird 30 min, I have a big fright when i came to close to it. He started to bend his head down and show me his cask while starring at me. So, I froze, almost stop breathing and look away from it. This worked and I keep on watching this amazing rare bird with respect.