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Southern CassowaryAlternate name(s): "Double-wattled Cassowary", "Two-wattled Cassowary", "Australian Cassowary" ![]() Size: 1.5-1.75 m Weight: 29-34 kg (male), 58 kg (female) |
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Photos |
Race "johnsonii"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Near-frontal portrait of a male Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Daintree NP, QLD, March 2015]
Near-frontal view of a male Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Daintree NP, QLD, March 2015]
Lateral view of a male Southern Cassowary (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Etty Bay Road, near Innisfail, QLD, August 2019]
Lateral view of a male Southern Cassowary (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Daintree NP, QLD, March 2015]
Near-dorsal view of a male Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Etty Bay Road, near Innisfail, QLD, August 2019]
Frontal view of an adult male Southern Cassowary in captivity
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FEMALE |
Close-up frontal view of a female Southern Cassowary; note the
prominent, long wattles - the sunbasking lady was blissfully
unaware of the bird's passage
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Etty Bay Beach, near Innisfail, QLD, May 2022]
Near-frontal view of a female Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Etty Bay Road, near Innisfail, QLD, September 2020]
Close-up near-lateral portrait of a female Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Etty Bay Beach, near Innisfail, QLD, May 2022]
Near-lateral view of a female Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Etty Bay Road, near Innisfail, QLD, September 2020]
Lateral portrait of a resting female Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Billabong Sanctuary, Townsville, QLD, November 2021]
Close-up lateral view of a female Southern Cassowary looking
towards the observer
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Etty Bay Beach, near Innisfail, QLD, May 2022]
Lateral view of a female Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Etty Bay Road, near Innisfail, QLD, September 2020]
Near-dorsal view of a female Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Etty Bay Road, near Innisfail, QLD, September 2020]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Lateral view of a juvenile Southern Cassowary, front,
adult behind
(photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Daintree NP, QLD, August 2022]
Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Southern Cassowary
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Etty Bay Road, near Innisfail, QLD, August 2019]
Male Southern Cassowary with three chicks crossing a
road
(photo courtesy of S. Hardy & D. Johnston)
[Daintree to Port Douglas road, QLD, August 2013]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Jun - Oct | Eggs: 2 - 5 | Incubation period: 60 days | Fledging age: N/A |
Eggs are incubated by the male.
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Scrape | Material: Leaf lining | Height above ground: N/A |
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 140 x 90 mm | Colour: Greenish brown | Shape: Elliptical |
Southern Cassowary eggs have a structured surface.
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Behaviour |
Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Sedentary | Elementary unit: Solitary |
Pairs, or later family clans, form only during the breeding season.
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Food, Diet |
Southern Cassowaries are fruit-eaters.