Cassowary

Cassowary, common name for any of three members of a genus of flightless birds. Cassowaries stand 1.2 to 1.8 m (about 4 to 6 ft) high and can run as fast as 48 km/h (30 mph) when frightened. Their inner toes bear long, straight, knifelike nails, which are deadly defense weapons. The loose, hairlike body plumage is brownish-black; the head and neck are bare and brightly colored in various combinations of red, yellow, and blue. The top of the head bears a large, bony crest. Two species have long, leathery wattles hanging from the front of the neck. Originally found only in northern Australia and New Guinea, cassowaries were brought as pets to New Britain, Ceram, and the Aru islands. Unlike their relatives the emus, rheas, and ostrich, cassowaries are birds of the forest rather than of open plains. As in all of these birds, the males incubate the eggs, which in cassowaries are dark green and number three to six per clutch.

Scientific classification: Cassowaries make up the genus Casuarius, of the family Casuariidae, order Struthioniformes.