Kasuare is big, unairworthy representatives of the run-birds. With the emus, they form the subordination of the Kasuarvögel.
Characteristics The 3 types of the Kasuare have, receded wings, the forearm and the hand are only half as long as the upper arm. The collarbone and the raven-leg wasted away.
The birds have a black plumage and one partial unbefiederten Hal. The Helmkasuar and the gold-neck or Orangehalskasuar (Casuarius unappendiculatus) carry hanging from its neck rocks, that the Bennettkasuar (Casuarius bennetti) lacks. Dependent on the respective subtype, the bare skin-parts are differently colored. So, head, neck and the neck can shine blue, black, red, pink or yellow or also knows is. The females are ever bigger than the males, but, not to distinguish in the coloring of the plumage.
A particular characteristic is a bony helmet on the head, that is molded differently with the individual types. The function of this helmet is interpreted so that the birds can penetrate the dense rain-forest hereby more easily.
The beak is compressed at the side. The inner one of the three toes is reorganized to an effective defense-weapon; its claw can become up to 10 cm long namely. So the hit of a Kasuars with its strong leg-musculature is very much feared exactly with the natives, because it can be quite deadly. The belligerent birds participate very agile: They succeed easily with it, off the cuff up to one and a half meters, to jump into the air.
Spread The habitat of the Kasuare is the dense rain-forest of north-east-Australia until New Guinea and from some small islands. However, they avoid higher mountain-situations on that occasion.
Way of life Since they are camouflaged extraordinarily well in its biotope, became little known over its way of life. Like the emus, they live on fruits, roots and foliage, beside it also from small animals.
Reproduction Kasuare brood on the ground. it flattens, contains heavy green eggs, that measure 13,5 x 8,5 cm, from ever approximately 650 g 3-5 (rarely until 8) with leaves and grass-stalks of laid out nest-hollow.
Differently than the eggs come from one single female with the emus. The cock broods alone for 49-56 days, its task is also the leads of the boys. The eggs and the boys of the individual types and subtypes are to be hardly distinguished. The chicks carry a tawny Dunengefieder with clear, dark brown vertical stripes. Only after some months, the squabs color themselves uniformly brown.
Scientific name: