Cassowaries stay within the rainforests of Queensland. However regardless of their dimension, they’re not straightforward to seek out, explains Steve Portugal.
There might be few extra imposing sights in nature than an grownup cassowary. Standing practically 2m tall and weighing as much as 50kg, it’s no thriller why these massive, flightless birds, present in north-eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea, have lengthy conjured up comparisons to prehistoric dinosaurs.
As a boy, I all the time dreamed of seeing one within the wild however, rising up within the Nineteen Eighties, Australia appeared unimaginably unique and much away.
The chance for that childhood dream to grow to be actuality landed in February 2023, after I was provided a piece journey to Australia. Lastly, I had my probability to hunt cassowaries within the wild – and I jumped at it.
What number of species of cassowary are there?
The magnificent title ‘cassowary’ originates from the Papuan for ‘horned’ (kasu) and ‘head’ (weri), a reference to its casque.
The species discovered within the tropical rainforests of north-eastern Queensland is the southern cassowary. It may also be present in Papua New Guinea, together with its cousin, the northern cassowary and a 3rd species, the dwarf cassowary.
The place do cassowary stay in Australia?
The main target of my quest was the attractive – and aptly named – Mission Seaside. This locality with a spectacular stretch of sand sits on the Cassowary Coast, the place it’s surrounded by the Moist Tropics forests and appears out eastwards to the Nice Barrier Reef. It’s the solely place on this planet the place tropical rainforest collides with coral reef, and pictures of huge cassowaries foraging on idyllic seashores have grow to be synonymous with the world as an entire.
As a consequence of habitat destruction and concrete improvement, the rainforests at Mission Seaside are nearly fully remoted from the broader rainforest habitat. Regardless of this, the world is residence to one in all Australia’s largest populations of cassowaries and so they have survived on these shores for 60 million years.
So, it was there that I headed, with enthusiasm, to try to join with these charismatic feathered giants. It might not be straightforward. I had lower than three days, and as if monitoring down this elusive fowl in such a small period of time wasn’t difficult sufficient, I might be masking your complete space on foot.
Along with their spectacular dimension and weight, cassowaries possess a bunch of different intriguing options. They belong to a gaggle referred to as the ratites, which incorporates their shut kinfolk the ostriches, emus and rheas, all of that are equally famend for his or her colossal dimension.
In contrast to most birds, cassowaries present a role-reversal on the subject of breeding, with the males endeavor the 50-day incubation obligation and rearing the younger. However maybe what they’re most well-known – or notorious – for is being, allegedly, the world’s most harmful fowl.
Why are cassowary harmful?
It’s not onerous to see why cassowaries stake a declare to this doubtful honour. They’re geared up with 15cm claws on their center toes, primarily used as a defence in opposition to predators equivalent to dingos, pythons and birds of prey, which goal younger birds. They’ll run at speeds of 50kph, clear 2m when leaping, and ship a imply kick.
As well as, legends about their voracity abound. “How anxious ought to I be?”, I questioned, as I ready to roam the rainforest alone, looking for out the very creatures that the majority different people would most likely choose to keep away from?
Naturally, whether or not the cassowary deserves its popularity is debatable. In Australia, most animal-related deaths are induced, not by cassowaries, however by horses, adopted by cows and canines. Certainly, just one particular person in your complete world has been confirmed to have been killed by a wild cassowary – in 1926, a 16-year-old boy died after attacking a person he discovered on his property. Definitely, it quickly turned clear that the residents of Mission Seaside don’t stay in concern of cassowaries. For starters, arrivals to the bus station are welcomed by a big wood cassowary, whereas umpteen outlets, roads and buildings bear the fowl’s title.
What do cassowary eat?
As the first distributor of seeds in rainforests, cassowaries are a keystone species in Australia, identified to eat as much as 238 several types of plant. Regardless of their formidable look, these are shy, reclusive birds, shunning the corporate of their very own sort in favour of a solitary life-style, and I did marvel if I used to be on the lookout for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
Every fowl defends a territory of round one sq. kilometre, confining its every day actions inside this outlined residence vary. They transfer alongside common pathways between roost websites and fruiting bushes and might be very inconspicuous and onerous to identify inside the complicated, dense habitat of a rainforest.
Native cassowary knowledgeable Ingrid Marker gave me some recommendation on the place to hunt out the birds, and my most important space of focus was a 10km path by way of the rainforest.
Day one began at 5am, and the astonishing sounds and smells I encountered when coming into the rainforest took my breath away. I used to be surrounded by kingfishers and lace monitor lizards and serenaded by the squawks of parrots and the rustle of leaf litter as rat kangaroos foraged for fungi and fruit.
However regardless of my greatest efforts and the 33,000 steps logged on my cellphone, my first foray for cassowaries yielded solely dung and prints.
Why is the southern cassowary endangered?
That evening, unable to sleep for the mosquito bites sustained throughout my hike, I mulled over a remark an area had made to me within the pub. “Your greatest wager is the roads,” he’d suggested. I used to be aware of the troubled relationship between cassowaries and motorists.
The 2 greatest direct threats to the birds at Mission Seaside are from automobiles (from 2001-2005, 76 per cent of the cassowary deaths recorded at Mission Seaside have been as a consequence of street collisions) and canines. These risks, coupled with habitat loss and competitors over assets from a big inhabitants of feral pigs, have induced substantial declines within the area. Latest estimates counsel Australia’s southern inhabitants of cassowaries could have declined to only 800-1,000 people. They take a very long time to succeed in breeding age and might stay 50 years; each particular person misplaced by way of roadkill considerably impacts the inhabitants.
With a backpack full of meals and water, I headed off on day two of my cassowary quest. An entire repeat of yesterday’s stroll yielded exactly zero birds. However as I exited the rainforest, three hours of daylight remained, and I made the snap choice to go to Carmoo, a small property a couple of kilometres away. I had seen images of cassowaries strutting among the many gardens of the massive homes there, and determined it would supply my greatest probability of a sighting. The street to Carmoo is lengthy and straight, and I gratefully accepted a raise from a passing motorist. I used to be filled with optimism, however my stroll there proved as fruitless because the final.
Battle usually arises when wildlife comes into common contact with folks, and these birds are a working example. On the twentieth March 2006, Cyclone Larry introduced devastation to the area. Winds reached speeds of over 300kph, and properties and buildings have been destroyed. No human fatalities have been reported, however 35 per cent of the cassowary inhabitants was killed. The survivors, with little to no shelter or meals, ventured into city areas, making the most of meals provided by native folks to avoid wasting the birds from hunger. This supplementary feeding continued for a few years, and the native birds turned very accustomed to associating sure homes and other people with straightforward meals.
There’s little question that this reduction effort saved the inhabitants from extinction, but sure people began behaving aggressively in the direction of people when meals was not supplied. With battle escalating, a feeding ban was imposed, carrying the hefty penalty of a $5,000 advantageous.
Are cassowaries straightforward to seek out?
With one hour left earlier than sundown, I headed to the caravan parks of South Mission Seaside, a well-liked hang-out for cassowaries, which solicit handouts from barbecues. A passing taxi saved me the 9km stroll, and the driving force, Jane, instructed me that she commonly sees cassowaries in her backyard. She phoned her youngsters to see if any birds have been current, however alas, there weren’t. Jane additionally instructed me that the garbage tip at South Mission Seaside was a cassowary hotspot and dropped me off there, promising to choose me up later.
One other prolonged walkabout and nonetheless the birds eluded me. It was getting darkish so, after two consolatory ice lotions, I headed again to the garbage tip and dozed off on the pavement whereas ready for my raise. When Jane’s headlights roused me, I awoke to the reasonably odd view of a wallaby licking my trainers. Maybe, given how a lot I’d been sweating, it seen me as a cell salt-lick.
The drive again to Mission Seaside was extremely insightful. Jane defined how, regardless of the fines, folks nonetheless fed cassowaries of their gardens. An area visitor home even provided paid pictures alternatives in its backyard, with the birds fed solely for this function. Clearly, the message wasn’t getting by way of. Extra cassowary tales abounded within the pub, the place locals recounted tales from throughout the years. Not everybody preferred the birds, nevertheless; one younger man even wished they weren’t there in any respect. He discovered the rushing restrictions designed to guard the birds irritating, although admitted he largely ignored them anyway.
I awoke at 4:40am following the strangest dream, during which I used to be making cassowary sock puppets. I actually did have cassowaries on the mind. It was nonetheless darkish and too early to go away, so I sat on the seashore and watched the dawn. I reminded myself that even when I failed in my quest, Mission Seaside is a magical place, and I used to be a really fortunate man to have skilled it.
Then, my cellphone pinged. It was Ingrid, the cassowary knowledgeable, enquiring as to my success. As comfort for the truth that I hadn’t had a single sighting, she provided to take me on one ultimate drive.
We motored alongside and, rounding a bend, joined a queue of slow-moving automobiles, many with their hazard lights blinking. My coronary heart began pounding. Forward of us, on the facet of the street, was a big black object. Having been tricked already by feral pigs and black bin baggage, I attempted to not get excited. However then, the massive black object doubled in dimension as an infinite feminine cassowary stood up and raised her head. She had been feeding on wallaby roadkill.
Nothing prepares you to your first sight of a cassowary within the wild. I acquired out of the automobile and, holding a protected distance, stood behind it. The sumptuous blues and reds that adorned her plumage have been far brighter than you’ll be able to think about. Her massive eyes have been centered fully on her meal, and he or she was seemingly oblivious to the automobiles round her.
Then, with none warning, she strode throughout the street in an impressive trend and vanished effortlessly into the rainforest. The entire joyful expertise had lasted lower than three minutes, however it had come within the nick of time: one hour later, I used to be on the bus again to Cairns, a single blurry photograph on my cellphone testomony to my sighting.
The way forward for the cassowaries at Mission Seaside is considerably hanging within the stability. Securing their continued existence entails fixing many complicated points, from street design and site visitors calming measures to rainforest rehabilitation, and from feral pig management to canine administration.
Hopefully, the local people and wider authorities can come collectively to make sure the long-term survival of this iconic and charismatic species, the fowl of my boyhood desires.
The place is Mission Seaside?
The Australian locality of Mission Seaside lies on the coronary heart of north Queensland’s Cassowary Coast, which stretches from Cairns to Cardwell. The Nice Barrier Reef is lower than 40km offshore.
What are ratites?
Ratites are identified for his or her incapacity to fly. In contrast to different birds, most ratites don’t have a keeled sternum. This anatomical construction usually kinds the anchor to which the sturdy muscular tissues which are required for flight connect, and keeled sternums are current in all flying birds. Certainly, the title ratite derives from the Latin for raft, ‘ratis’, a vessel that has no keel.
Whereas acquainted ratites equivalent to ostriches, emus and cassowaries are flightless, one lesser-known household of ratites can fly, the South American tinamou. These tinamous weren’t ratites that rediscovered the flexibility to fly; reasonably, that they had by no means misplaced it. This has helped scientists perceive that the ancestors of this group of birds have been as soon as able to flight however subsequently misplaced the flexibility, maybe when dinosaurs turned extinct.
Our new understanding that ratites’ ancestors weren’t flightless has solved the thriller of how they turned dispersed world wide, over marine limitations. Discover out extra about flightless birds.
This article by Steve Portugal was first revealed by Uncover Wildlife on 8 June 2026. Lead Picture: The mysterious Cassowary. Credit score: Getty.
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