With this unusual bird, when it is in an angry state, the jokes are bad. When danger arises, defending itself from the enemy, it kicks with great strength with its powerful and strong legs, while causing deep wounds with claws and a sharp beak.
The name of this bird is a helmet-bearing cassowary. A photo, description, habitat and other features of this bird are presented in the article.
Varieties
Few people know about cassowary. However, the history of the development of these amazing birds dates back millions of years. However, they have already been squeezed out almost everywhere, except for a few small islands, including the small peninsula of Cape York.
Before we get to the answer to the question, where does the bird of the helmet-bearing cassowary live, briefly consider the varieties of these birds. The cassowary family belongs to the group of ratites, which combines ostriches, kiwi, emu and nandu. A characteristic feature of these species of birds is a flat sternum and the absence of a keel. They cannot fly, therefore their wings are very poorly developed, and plumage is more reminiscent of hair.
Most of the ratites are large, but among them there are babies. In total, the family includes 3 types of cassowaries: helmet-bearing (see photo in the article), orange-necked, Bennetta or Muruk. Now scientists are disputing the existence of the fourth species, which has slight differences from the cassowary Muruka.
To date, only 22 subspecies of three varieties of cassowary have been described. But due to the fact that the differences between ages and sexes are not sufficiently studied, it is considered unjustified to divide cassowaries into subspecies.
General description of birds
Cassowaries are flightless large birds. Some adults can reach 2 meters in height with a weight of 60 kilograms. These are the largest birds in size in Australia and the second in the world (the first are ostriches).
All three species have on their heads a kind of outgrowth called the “helmet” and consisting of a kind of horn substance located around the solid material of the spongy structure. There are several versions about the functions of this helmet. Perhaps they use this helmet to advance while running through the undergrowth. According to another version, the helmet is a secondary sexual attribute. Another version - birds use it as a weapon in battles for dominance or as a means for raking leaves during the search for food.
Habitat and habitat
This bird lives in the northeastern parts of Australia and on the island of New Guinea.
Helmeted cassowary bird (photo presented in the article) is a native of Queensland (Australia), New Guinea and its neighboring small islands, represented by a tropical jungle with countless fresh lakes, streams and rivers. Queensland ridges are characterized by an abundance of fast and transparent mountain streams that form amazingly beautiful waterfalls. In the picturesque local forests, wet and warm summers dominate year-round, which contributes to the continuous growth of plants. In this regard, cassowaries never experience a lack of food in these places.
There are 2 large national parks in Queensland that are the natural habitat of these birds.
Description
The headless cassowary bird is very large. Its weight can reach 60 kilograms, and body height - 1.8 meters.
As a rule, females are larger than males. The neck and head without feathers are bluish blue or purple. They have on their heads an ornament called a helmet. There are also two outgrowths of red on the neck. The main shade of fluffy and shiny plumage is black.
Toes on strong and muscular legs, lacking plumage, have sharp claws that serve as weapons for the cassowary. The eardrum is clearly visible in the bird, indicating excellent hearing.
Lifestyle
The lifeless helmeted cassowary values loneliness the most. Due to the fact that he is a hermit and lives mainly in the lower tier of the tropical impenetrable jungle, densely overgrown with vines and shrubs, it is very difficult to observe him in natural conditions. Meeting with the cassowary is a rather rare success, although his voice is often heard in the forest. This bird occupies a certain area adjacent to a fresh water reservoir.
Cassowary is a wonderful swimmer, and he can easily overcome any water obstacles. In hot weather, he often enjoys swimming. Goes around the cassowary their possessions, slowly jogging. Though impassable thickets are not terrible to the helmet-bearing cassowary, he still prefers trodden paths. He makes his way through the bushes, stretching his head forward and spreading branches of dense thickets with his unique helmet.
The sides of the bird, as noted above, also have protection against injuries. The styloid processes are located on them - everything that remains of the original feathers of the feathers. During running, the cassowary lowers its head, stretching its neck forward and lifting its feathers on the tailbone, so in this state it looks higher from behind than from the front.
By nature, this shy bird. Her sharp enough hearing allows you to catch alarming sounds from afar. In case of danger, she quickly runs away, racing at great speed through the undergrowth and sometimes jumping to a height of 1.5 meters. If there is nowhere to escape, the cassowary attacks the enemy and inflicts deep wounds with its sharp claws and beak.
Nutrition
What eats bird helmeted cassowary? Vegetable food predominates in his diet. This is primarily nuts and fruits that fell from the trees. But can he eat a fish or a frog caught in a pond, as well as a lizard or a snake.
The cassowary produces fish in the river in an unusual way: it goes down to the water and enters it to a depth of about a meter, then squats into it, ruffling its feathers. In this position, he sits for about fifteen minutes, then suddenly presses his feathers and gets out to the shore, where he brushes himself off several times. Small fishes spill out from under the feathers, which the cassowary immediately begins to eat. The diet of this bird also includes mushrooms, which also replenish the body with the protein necessary for building body tissue.
Breeding
When the period comes for the generation of offspring, the female helmet-bearing cassowary calls her friends with droning bass cries. She, completely devoid of maternal instinct, is in the company of her husband only until the laying of eggs. Then she goes away, and all the worries about the chicks and the nest fall on the shoulders of the male.
The cassowary's nest is an ordinary hole dug in a forest litter. It often happens that several females lay 3-8 eggs each in the nest of one male at once. Large eggs have a greenish tint, their weight reaches 500 grams. After filling the nest with eggs, the male begins to incubate the entire clutch. The incubation period is 53 days.
Well-developed chicks appear that immediately leave the nest. However, until full independence, they remain under the care of the father.
A little bit about offspring
With the ability to run almost immediately after birth, the chicks of a helmet-bearing cassowary follow their parent everywhere. This lasts approximately 9 months. Towards the end of this period, their feather color changes completely - it becomes dark. The "helmet" also begins to appear.
By the beginning of the second year of life, the chicks turn into adults, and by the third - they are ready for mating. Life expectancy of cassowaries in nature is 12 years or more, and in captivity they can live two to three times longer. This contributes to the continued existence of this population.
Enemies
The cassowary has few enemies. The fauna of Australia and New Guinea is represented by a small number of large animals. Among predators, only dingo dogs pose a danger to them. These birds from their enemies defend themselves either by fast running, or by attack. Their natural enemies (to a greater extent for young birds and chicks) are wild pigs, which not only destroy the chicks and nests, but also make these birds quite serious food competition.
It should be noted that the cassowary always warns of an impending attack with its ruffled feathers, only then it rushes to the enemy. Its powerful paws, as noted above, can inflict quite serious wounds, even fatal.
Cassowary Guard
Recently, there has been a deterioration in the habitat of birds. Helmet-bearing cassowaries, like the orange-necked ones, are recognized as endangered species today. Their abundance in nature is about 1,500–10,000 individuals. This is due to the reduction of sites suitable for their habitat. Therefore, today protected areas are being created to preserve these unique birds.
In addition, natural disasters and adverse weather conditions can negatively affect birds.
Some interesting facts
- The cassowary looks like an unusual combination of turkey and ostrich.
- The color of the neck and head of a bird may vary depending on mood. When irritated or excited, it darkens due to blood flow.
- The sound of cassowary can be heard at a distance of about 6 kilometers.
- Young birds are brown striped. They learn almost everything from their father: how to look for food, how to catch worms and insects, frogs, fish and snails.
- In the wild, cassowary lives from 12 to 19 years, and in captivity more - 40-50 years.
- Cassowaries can be quite dangerous when kept in captivity. They have nowhere to run from the net enclosure, so at the slightest threat to them, these very shy birds can rush into the fray, causing terrible wounds to caretakers.
- The helmet of a male cassowary, filled with a spongy mass, is larger in size than that of a female.
- The Papuans, the indigenous inhabitants of New Guinea, catch young cassowaries in the forest, then they are fed in pens set up at their huts. Their meat is considered an exquisite delicacy here, and Papuans make knives from long and hard bones. Claws and small bones are used to make arrowheads.