Bird

Double-wattled Cassowary

The cassowary, an imposing flightless bird native to the tropical forests of Australia and New Guinea, is distinguished by its glossy black plumage and horned helmet, adding a fascinating dimension to the avian diversity of the region.

A prehistoric bird

Can be dangerous and aggressive

It lives in the rain forests of Australia and New Guinea where it plays a crucial role : able to eat everything and large fruit in particular, it thus disseminates, via its excrements, seeds on a large scale.

The male is, like the emu, a model father, which builds the nest, broods the eggs and takes care of the chicks on its own, protecting them and bringing them up until they can manage on their own.

We don’t really know the purpose of its helmet, or casque. Perhaps to facilitate its walking in the thick vegetation of the forest or as a sounding box for its cry.

For the indigenous tribes of New Guinea, it’s a precious animal for its meat, its feathers and the bones of its legs.