Southern Cassowary
Casuarius casuarius
The southern cassowary is the largest bird in Australia, and the third largest in the world. They are solitary pairing up only in breeding season. The male builds a nest on the ground and uses this to attract a female to mate with. The male also incubates the eggs and raises the chicks alone where there is a clutch of three or four eggs. Interestingly these eggs are green, due to the presence of biliverdin, a common pigment found in bird eggshells.
- Size:
- Up to 5.8 feet / 1.7 cm in height. Females can weigh up to 75kg!
- Diet:
- Mainly fruit, but will also forage for invertebrates & small mammals
- Speed:
- Very fast moving up to 50 km/hr!
- Habitat:
- Rainforest
- Superpower:
- Have a very enlarged 12 cm claw on the inner toe of each foot, which can be used to attack predators