The Northern Cassowary is a massive, flightless bird of the lowland rainforests of northern New Guinea and nearby islands. It is one of three living cassowary species and, like its relatives, carries a tall bony casque on its head and a coat of coarse, black, hair-like feathers. The bare skin of the neck is vividly coloured in red, blue and yellow, and a single bright wattle hangs at the throat, distinguishing it from the double-wattled southern cassowary.
Powerful and wary, cassowaries are famous for the long, dagger-like inner claw on each foot, which they can use in defence. Despite their size they are shy forest birds, usually seen alone as they move through dense undergrowth in search of fallen fruit. They play a key ecological role as seed dispersers for many rainforest trees, some of which depend on passage through a cassowary to germinate.
An enormous, unmistakable bird, the Northern Cassowary has a black body, a helmet-like casque and brilliantly coloured bare neck skin. It is separated from the larger southern cassowary chiefly by having a single throat wattle rather than two, and by its more northern range.
| Size | Huge and flightless, up to around 150 cm long and standing 1.5-1.8 m tall |
| Weight | Females larger, reaching around 58 kg; males roughly 30-37 kg |
| Plumage | Coarse, glossy black hair-like feathers over the body |
| Head and neck | Tall brown casque; bare skin of the neck bright red, blue and yellow |
| Wattle | A single wattle hanging from the throat |
| Feet | Three thick toes, the inner bearing a long, sharp dagger-like claw |
Cassowaries are not songbirds but produce deep, resonant booming and rumbling calls, some of the lowest-frequency sounds made by any bird and partly felt as much as heard. They also give hisses, grunts and roars when disturbed. These low booms travel well through dense forest and help the normally solitary birds keep their distance from one another.
The species is found in the lowland rainforests of northern and western New Guinea, in both Indonesian Papua and Papua New Guinea, and on some offshore islands such as Yapen and Salawati. It prefers swampy and riverine forest and other wet lowland habitats, generally at low elevations, where fruiting trees are abundant.
The Northern Cassowary is mainly a fruit-eater, feeding heavily on fallen fruits it gathers from the forest floor. It also takes fungi, insects, small vertebrates such as frogs and lizards, and other invertebrates. By swallowing large fruits whole and depositing the seeds far from the parent tree, it acts as an important disperser and even germination trigger for many rainforest plants.
As in other cassowaries, the male takes charge of parenting. After the female lays a clutch of around three to five large greenish eggs in a scrape on the forest floor, she moves on, and the male alone incubates them for around 50 days and then raises the striped chicks. The young stay with their father for several months as he leads them to food and defends them.
- Southern Cassowary: Larger relative with two throat wattles, in southern New Guinea and Australia
- Dwarf Cassowary: Smaller montane cassowary with no wattle and a low triangular casque
- Emu: Another giant flightless ratite, but shaggy brown with no casque or coloured neck
Is the Northern Cassowary dangerous?
Cassowaries are powerful and can defend themselves with a long, sharp claw on each foot, so they are treated with respect, but they are shy forest birds that avoid people and attacks are rare.
How is the Northern Cassowary different from the Southern Cassowary?
The Northern Cassowary has a single throat wattle and lives in northern New Guinea, while the Southern Cassowary is larger, has two wattles and ranges across southern New Guinea and northern Australia.
Can a Northern Cassowary fly?
No. Like all cassowaries it is flightless, with only vestigial wings, and relies on running and its powerful legs.
Why are cassowaries important to the rainforest?
They swallow large fruits whole and spread the seeds across the forest, making them vital seed dispersers for many tree species.