Northern Cassowary

Casuarius unappendiculatus Blyth, 1860

Northern Cassowary, Casuarius unappendiculatus, is a flightless bird of New Guinea, Yapen and Salawati in Australasia, with its breeding range also reaching Batanta. It belongs to the cassowary family and was named by Blyth in 1860. This species is marked by a single wattle, which gives it one of its other common names. It lives in coastal swamps and lowland rainforest, usually below 490 m, though it has also been recorded much higher. The bird is shy and solitary, and the male builds the nest, incubates the eggs and rears the young alone.

Order

Casuariiformes

Family

Casuariidae — Cassowaries, Emu

Breeding range

Australasia: Salawati (Raja Ampat Is., nw of New Guinea), Yapen (Geelvink Bay is., nw New Guinea) and New Guinea