Baby Cassowaries: All You Need To Know (with Pictures)

Adult cassowaries have a very distinctive appearance; their bulky bodies are covered with long, glossy black feathers, with bright blue skin on their featherless necks and a dense bony armor on top of their heads.

Newborn cassowary chicks look a little different, with brown bands of feathers and not even the faintest hint of blue skin visible.

Read our guide to baby cassowaries to learn more about what they look like, what they eat, how long it takes to gain independence — and the seemingly prehistoric appearance of their parents.

Cassowaries are divided into three subspecies:

• southern cassowary
• Pygmy Cassowary
• Northern Turkey

Although these three species are distinct and inhabit different geographic locations, they share many similar characteristics and habits when it comes to nest building and raising young.

What does a small cassowary look like?

Shortly after hatching, baby cassowaries emerge from the nest. They can walk almost instantly and have long, yellowish-brown legs. Cassowary chicks have a reddish-brown head and breast, dark brown stripes on the back from neck to tail, and narrow stripes on the thighs. Their lower bodies are pale and ungirdled.

They do not naturally have a helmet-like armor on top of their heads, although there is an area of ​​exposed bone that develops later.

Close up of a small cassowary chick

How big is a cassowary?

There are no exact measurements for small cassowaries. Chicks grow rapidly, and by the end of the first year, the juveniles are the same size as adults—a southern cassowary can reach 130-170 cm (51-70 inches). Within the first few weeks of life, baby cassowaries have grown to about half the height of their adult legs.

How much does a small cassowary weigh?

There are no data on the weight of baby cassowaries in the wild. However, conservation management records for southern cassowaries born in captivity show birth weights of approximately 500 g (18 oz) and 750 g (26 oz) after 30 days.

A male cassowary and his chicks

What does a juvenile cassowary look like?

Between 3 and 6 months, young cassowaries begin to lose their stripes and gain a more uniform brown appearance. Their feathers begin to lengthen, gradually becoming more like an adult cassowary.

From 6 to 9 months of age, the bare skin on a juvenile cassowary’s neck becomes more prominent, starting to appear blue and then darkening with age. Their head shells are not fully developed until they are 4 to 5 years old.

By the end of the first year, juvenile cassowaries are the same size as adult birds. They gain full adult plumage at about 4 years of age. Sexual maturity is reached around age 3, but successful breeding usually does not begin until cassowaries are at least 4 or 5 years old.

Juvenile Southern Cassowary

What do you call a small cassowary?

Small cassowaries do not have a specific name, so they are called chicks.

What does a cassowary eat?

Cassowary eats the pulp, which is procured and prepared by the male. Until a few months old, chicks cannot eat whole fruit and rely on their father to feed them mashed food.

Insects are also an important part of a cassowary’s early diet, providing them with the valuable protein they need to support their rapid growth.

A young cassowary begins to develop bright colors on its face

Do both parents feed the baby cassowary?

Raising the chicks is the sole responsibility of the male cassowary. Female cassowaries leave the nesting ground almost immediately after laying eggs, leaving the task of incubating and raising the chicks entirely to the males.

Once the chicks hatch, the male feeds them until they are 9 months old. At this time, they are almost fully grown and are driven out of the nesting ground by the male to live independently.

What do cassowary eggs look like?

All three cassowary subspecies lay green oval eggs that range in color from bright lime green to rich blue-green. There are often black spots or spots on the surface of the eggs.

The average size of a cassowary egg is 9 x 14 cm (3.5 x 5.5 in), with only ostrich and emu eggs being larger.

hatching cassowary

How long does it take for cassowary eggs to hatch?

The typical incubation period for cassowary eggs is 50 days, but 47 to 61 days are within the normal range. The eggs are incubated individually by the male cassowary, and the female leaves the nest after laying eggs is complete.

How many children does a cassowary have?

Cassowaries typically lay 3 to 8 eggs. Not all birds hatch successfully, most commonly a male rears a brood of about 4 chicks.

Small cassowary chick on the ground

When Do Cassowaries Lay Eggs?

Cassowaries lay their eggs most frequently in winter and spring, either in the wild or in captivity.

Southern cassowaries in Australia typically lay their eggs between June and October. In New Guinea, the southern and northern cassowaries breed from June to November, which coincides with the peak fruit supply after the dry season.

According to records, as long as the conditions are favorable, the pygmy cassowary can breed in both rainy and dry seasons throughout the year.

How Do Cassowaries Feed Their Chicks?

Cassowary chicks cannot eat the fruit whole, so rely on the male to separate the pulp from the seeds and provide them with good-sized pieces. The male also catches insects and feeds them to the young, providing them with the protein they need as they grow.

As young cassowaries become more independent, males will direct their attention to food sources rather than actively feeding them to stimulate their own foraging abilities. He signals that food is there to eat by making a loud click.

Two cassowary chicks and their dad

How long does the cassowary stay with its parents?

The cassowary is not cared for by the male until about 9 months of age, when the male is extremely protective of his young. At this point, or at the latest 16 months after hatching, the chicks are considered independent and ready to leave the nest permanently, and be unceremoniously kicked out of their territory by their fathers before the new breeding season.

Do small cassowaries need heat lamps?

For smaller cassowaries housed in the absence of males, a brooder should be used to regulate temperature. Cassowary chicks need to be kept at a minimum temperature of 30ºC (86ºF) for the first 7 days, but gradually reduce to a minimum of 24ºC (75ºF) by day 28.

Cassowary chick in the forest

What are the natural enemies of the small cassowary?

Common predators of the small cassowary include dingoes and wild boars in Australia, and pythons, monitor lizards, Papuan eagles and New Guinea warblers in New Guinea.

Wild boars will raid cassowary nests in search of eggs and chicks. Human-owned hounds can also pose a threat to small cassowaries in the wild.