Cassowary Calendar #3

Cassowaries usually rest after feeding, presumably aiding in moving the food to the stomach. They sit down and put their weight on their elbows, with the tibiae often not in touch with the ground. Sometimes they tilt backwards as they doze.


Cassowary Calendar #3
18 February 2008

The last post on the Cassowaries was on 15 November. Well things are pretty much the same. There are still three chick and they are growing rapidly. They are approaching a ¾ of a metre in size, still have their stripes and are always ravenous. Some mornings they show up wet up to the neck indicating that they have had to ford the creek to get to our place. On a few occasions both the male and the female adult Cassowaries accompanied the chicks. On one occasion the male was with only one chick but the following day he had all three with him. Perhaps, the other two were with the female.

Always when the giant female is around, both the male and the chicks give way. She gets first preference to any foodstuffs. At this time the male usually makes low guttural sounds and approaches cautiously. He bellows loudly when he first arrives in the morning, supposedly to announce his presence and the fact that he and the bubs are hungry.

We’ll keep you posted.