Dwarf Cassowary Casuarius bennetti Scientific name definitions

100–110 cm; 17·6 kg. Smallest member of genus. Adult is distinctive, with triangular-shaped casque flattened posteriorly, and thick, powerful legs and feet with three toes; bare-part colours vary with mood; feathering on foreneck extends higher up than on other members of genus. Male has head and much of neck almost bare, skin initially yellowish, later becoming green, and finally turning variously blue to purplish, pink, orange, chestnut or green, rear head from behind eye and gape to upper nape often paler blue to white, with or without red wart-like patch on foreneck and pinkish cheek patch on bulge of lower face; one or two red patches at base of neck, which can be on hindneck and can extend downwards into plumage; casque horn-grey to black, bordered at rear by tuft of black feathers; plumage on base of neck, body, wing (greatly reduced) and tail (very short) greyish-black, feathers loose and hair-like; iris hazel to dark brown; bill black; legs ash-grey to brownish-pink, anterior surface with hexagonal scutes, scutes becoming transverse at basal end of leg, claw of inner toe three times as long as other claws. Female is like male, but bare-part colours brighter and casque tends to be longer. Distinguished from C. casuarius (which often similar in colour of head and neck) mainly by smaller size, comparatively small and triangular casque, often larger bulge on side of lower face, and especially by lack of obvious long folds along sides of foreneck and small or non-existant wattle on lower foreneck; casque shape similar to that of some C. unappendiculatus, but usually blacker in colour, and the bird is overall smaller and lacks the large yellow or red area at base of lower foreneck. Juvenile has uniformly brown plumage, dull bare parts and rudimentary casque.

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Also New Britain (bennetti), where probably introduced.

Mountains of New Guinea, including Yapen I (in Geelvink Bay), also lowlands in E of range; also New Britain (type locality), where presumably introduced.

Forest and secondary growth in hills and mountains, to 3300 m, occasionally to tree-line at 3600 m. In NE & SE New Guinea found also in lowland forests, where other members of genus absent.

Presumably sedentary.

Mainly fallen fruit; also fungi, invertebrates and small vertebrates. In one study, seeds of at least 97 plant species (in 33 families) found in droppings, and likely many more consumed (3 Mack, A. L. (1990). Notes on the Dwarf Cassowary Casuarius bennetti in Papua New Guinea. Muruk. 4(2): 49-52. Close ).Fruit mostly picked up from forest floor, occasionally plucked from low bush or heathy plant. Generally forages solitarily or in small family groups; sometimes larger gatherings at good food sources.

Low booming sound; also short low piping, at higher intensity becoming higher-pitched and finally turning into barking sounds and snarls. In threat, gives low growls accompanied by bill-clapping. In NW of range (“papuanus”), series of short deep grunts described.

Recorded in both dry and wet seasons; Feb–Apr in NW (Vogelkop). Nest a shallow depression on ground, lined with leaves, twigs and the like, normally between buttressed tree roots. Clutch 3–5 eggs, greenish, size 128–152 mm × 81–90 mm; incubation and chick care exclusively by male, incubation period 49–52 days; downy chick  has head and neck rufous-buff with irregular dark spotting, throat paler buff, body creamy buff, upperparts with broad black-and-rufous stripes, two black stripes on thighs, bill and legs dusky pinkish, casque reduced to flat shield on central forehead and forecrown.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Generally scarce; locally common in NE New Guinea. Rare or absent in many areas as a result of hunting pressure, which has increased with introduction of firearms. A preliminary assessment of exploitation of wild populations found this to be unsustainable and likely to result in extinction in the affected areas (4 Johnson, A., Bino, R. and Igag, P. (2004). A preliminary evaluation of the sustainability of cassowary (Aves: Casuariidae) capture and trade in Papua New Guinea. Animal Conservation. 7: 129–137. Close ). Global population judged to be substantial, and numbers declining more slowly than those of the other cassowaries, which are larger and found more in lowlands. Main threats are habitat loss and degradation, hunting and, to lesser extent, predation. Probably tolerant of moderate habitat degradation, but logging opens up areas previously inaccessible to hunters. Study required to determine effects of predation by pigs and dogs. Considered Near Threatened until 2015.