The Southern cassowary lives in the rainforests of coastal northern Queensland, Australia, as well as in tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea, and the Aru and Seram Islands. It is found in Cape York, in the vine forests of Lockerbie and McHenry Uplands, the vine forests of the McIlwraith and Iron Ranges, and in the Wet Tropics, from Big Tableland, south of Cooktown to Paluma, north of Townsville.
No. Ostriches are not native to Australia. Australia's large, flightless birds are the emu and the cassowary, both ratites like the ostrich, but quite different species.Ostriches are native to the African continent.
Yes. The Cassowary is Australia's heaviest flightless bird, although not the tallest (the emu, on average, is slightly taller). Cassowaries are found in the far northern tropical rainforest. They are not endemic to Australia. They are also found in New Guinea and on smaller nearby islands.
Yes. Both the Southern cassowary of Australia and the Northern cassowary, also known as the Golden-neck cassowary, of the island of New Guinea, are alive and well.
Queensland Australia
Yes. The southern cassowary of Australia is listed as Endangered under the Commonwealth Environment
The cassowary comes from Australia and New Guinea. The Southern cassowary comes from the rainforests of coastal northern Queensland, Australia As well as the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, and the Aru and Seram Islands. The Northern cassowary, or Golden-neck Cassowary, is found in the tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya on the island of New Guinea.
The habitat of the Double wattled cassowary, also known as the Southern cassowary, is tropical rain forest of far northern Australia and New Guinea.
It depends on what is meant by "largest", and whether this refers to height or weight. The emu is Australia's tallest bird, averaging 1.6 to 2 metres in height. Its nearest rival is the Southern Cassowary which averages 1.5 to 2 metres. Next to the emu, it looks distinctly shorter and stockier. The Southern Cassowary, however, tends to be heavier. Emus range between 30 and 45kg in weight, whilst the Southern Cassowary averages 50-60 kg.
The main food of the Southern cassowary is fallen fruit of over 200 species of native rainforest and bushland plants.
The population of the Southern cassowary - the species found in Australia - is estimated to be around 1000. Figures for the Northern cassowary are more difficult to determine, but estimates vary from 2,500-9,999 adult birds.
There is no bird similar to an ostrich in Australia. The tallest bird is the emu and, although it is a ratite (one of a particular group of flightless birds) like the ostrich, it is very different in appearance and behaviour.
The tallest bird in Australia is the emu, but the heaviest bird is the Southern cassowary.