Southern Cassowary

The October 2009 issue of the National Geographic highlights the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius). This impressive bird lives in Indonesia and the northeastern region of Australia. It size is between 40 and 67 inches long, and its weight is between 64 and 129 pounds. This is a very large bird. This bird cannot fly, but it offsets this situation by its ability to run over 30 miles an hour and to swim expertly. Scholars estimate there are between 10,000 and 20,000 existing southern cassowaries.

The southern cassowary announces its presence with loud, deep booms that carry remarkably far through the foliage. During breeding season, females mate with one to three males, starting a new nest with each partner, who then incubates the eggs and cares for the chicks.

And yet, this cycle of life is being seriously upset by habitat fragmentation, introduced predators, collisions with vehicles, and hunting. The southern cassowary is incapable of outdistancing these deadly threats. The picture in the National Geographic demonstrates that this is a very beautiful bird. It is black with long feather up to the neck. Then, the neck and head is a beatiful blue, and has a prominent topnotch. It has a red "tie" connected to the bottom part of the neck with a tiny bit of red behind the neck. God does a marvelous job of creating and portraying all of his creatures.

I hope YOU appreciate and respect the southern cassowary. But more than this, I hope and pray that YOU stand in awe of a God who creates this and all other creatures, non-human and human. God created YOU. Honor, respect, worship God.

Share YOUR experiences with all the birds on earth. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis