Dwarf cassowary

The dwarf cassowary, also known as Bennett's cassowary, little cassowary, mountain cassowary or muruk, is the smallest of the three extant species of cassowaries.

Taxonomy

The scientific name commemorates the Australian naturalist George Bennett. He was the first scientist to examine these birds after a few were brought to Australia aboard a ship. Recognising them as a new species of cassowary, he sent specimens back to England, where other taxonomists confirmed his perception. On the west side of Cenderawasih Bay, western Papua (province)|Papua], there is a distinctive form that may merit a split. C. papuanus is the tentative name. There are two recognized subspecies

C. b. bennetti - found throughout New Guinea except the Vogelkop Peninsula, as well as Yapen Island and New Britain
C. b. westermanni - found on the Vogelkop Peninsula

A third subspecies, Casuarius bennetti papuanus, may exist based on a specimen collected in 1875 of unknown origin. This name is sometimes applied to C. b. westermanni subspecies, and may represent a distinct species, but the taxonomy is still unresolved.
The Karam or Kalam people of the New Guinea Highlands classify bats and flying birds as one group, yaket, and the cassowaries, very large, wingless, flightless birds as another, kobtiy. Yaket are bony with wings and fly in the air, while kobtiy are bony without wings and are terrestrial and of the forest. They distinguish kobtiy from other bony, wingless animals because kobtiy are not quadrupedal like dogs and lizards and are not limbless like snakes.
John Gould first identified the dwarf cassowary from a specimen from New Britain, in 1857.

Description

The dwarf cassowary is a large bird but is smaller than other living cassowaries. It is between long and weighs between. It is a flightless bird with hard and stiff black plumage, a low triangular casque, pink cheek and red patches of skin on its blue neck. Compared to other cassowaries, the dwarf cassowary is shorter, with a tarsi length of, with a slightly smaller bill, at. The feet are large and powerful, equipped with dagger-like claws on the inner toe. Both sexes are similar. Females have longer casques, brighter bare skin colour and are larger in size.

Range and habitat

The dwarf cassowary is endemic to the montane cloud forests and tropical rainforests of the island of New Guinea. Though the birds are primarily found on the island of New Guinea proper, they are also known from the Bismarck Archipelago, including the islands of New Britain and New Ireland, as well as Yapen Island, at elevations of around above sea level. In areas where dwarf cassowaries do not encounter the northern cassowary nor the southern species—i.e., avoiding interspecific competition—they will naturally become more confident and forage in lowland or open forest areas. The dwarf cassowary's total population is distributed over an area of approximately.

Ecology

The species feeds mainly on fallen fruits or fruits that they pluck from shrubs, and small animals and insects. Dwarf cassowaries use the crest on their head to sort through leaf litter and reveal many sources of food, such as fungi, insects, plant tissue, and small vertebrates, including lizards and frogs. A solitary bird, it pairs only during breeding season. It possibly undertakes seasonal migrations in part of its range.

Conservation

The dwarf cassowary has been classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN from 2004 to 2013 due to pressure by habitat loss, habitat degradation, being hunted for food, and often being kept in captivity. However, the species was downgraded to Least Concern in 2015, as current populations appear to be stable and there is substantially less hunting pressure than in the past.