The other day while I was attacking our storeroom, the curious cassowaries showed up. After a bit of a look-see, their interests turned to other activities.
Talking things over.
Mrs Cassowary has ideas.
Mrs Cassowary laid down on the wet ground and Mr Cassowary approached. Both were silent.
Once atop, the male would use his left leg to "stroke" the side of the female. I use the term loosely. He actually scraped her fairly roughly and I expected to find feathers on the ground.After a while they departed. I have no idea whether a successful copulation took place, but they will doubtlessly try again. This is the second time in a few years that they have mated in nearly the same place.
My friends Sue & Phil Gregory noted that the female made a rumbling sound when they observed mating in the past.
I apologise for the second-rate nature of the photos but with birds of that size and their notorious unpredictability, I did not want to venture too close. You understand!
With the chicks just gone, the adults don't wait around, do they?
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ReplyDeleteWow, there's always something interesting happening on this blog!!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen cassowaries outside of a zoo, so it's great seeing them being natural in their natural habitat.
ReplyDeleteSo just how dangerous are cassowaries?
Patricia sent me as I had just done a post on Hummingbird mating. I didn't have the neat pictues like you have however.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting blog you have. I'll be back.
Hi Folks
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments.
As for just how dangerous Cassowaries can be, well it probably depends on the individual Cassowary and the circumstances. If you have had poultry, you know that even a rooster can charge if the right stimuli are present. The Cassowaries have a reputation for being somewhat unpredictable and a huge toenail that can inflict serious damage. They can easily dispatch a single small dog. but fortunately attacks are rare.
The female easily stretches to 7 feet, and that's impressive. She is the less likely of the two to be aggressive but her bulk is impressive.
A few years ago a woman told me that a cranky female cassowary chased her into the ocean up in the Daintree area north of here. She had to wait till the Cassowary got tired and moved away before she came back to shore. {In that area, there are more aggressive creatures to worry about in the ocean!!]
wow i think you pictures are great! How amazing to see them mating. I would love to see a wild cassowary, I tried in the Daintree without success :o(
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