Animal Diaries Archive

A Flightless Bird

27 June 2008

The cassowary is a large flightless bird from Australia and New Guinea. They are the largest bird in Australia and the second largest in the world, the largest being the ostrich. The cassowary comes from a family known as Ratite, along with Emus, Rheas and the Kiwi.  

So why can’t these birds fly?

The name Ratite comes from a Latin word meaning raft. The reason this name was given to this group is because the sternum of these birds is missing the keel breastbone which acts as the anchorage for the large muscles that are required for a bird to fly.

The cassowaries feathers have lost there complexity and look more like long thick hairs rather than feathers. This thick coat acts like an armour to protect them as they run through the rainforests at speeds up to 45kph. Their wings are quite small compared to their body size and are basically just three long veinless quills. The quill is the hollow barrel of the birds’ feather, which they moult about once a year.

One of our five resident cassowaries, Bedara has quite an unusual looking quill. It has developed a corkscrew appearance which protrudes from the side of her body. This is often mistaken by guest as a stick or something she has caught in her feathers. Eventually this quill will naturally moult out and be replaced by another. So next time your at the Zoo make sure to stop by and take a look at Bedara and her unusual quill.