Cassowary
A male cassowary, seen on the way to Cape Tribulation.
The cassowary initially hid in the bush, seemingly unconcerned. It even spent
some time nibbling a few leaves while we peered in, unwilling to get too close.
After a few minutes, the bird decided to cross, casually, into the open space between the slither of bush it was hiding in, into the rainforest – right in front of us.
The male Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) is a large, rare, flightless bird and, at 1.8 metres (5½ feet) the third largest remaining bird, after the ostrich and emu. Able to run up to 50 km/h (32 mph) and jump over 1½ metres (5 feet), delivering bone-crunching kicks, they are not a bird to be messed with. There are thought to be as few as 1500 left.
Read the journal entry
