About the Southern Cassowary Drawing
I encountered a wild male Southern Cassowary at Cape Tribulation in Queensland in 2010. When I stepped out of the car to photograph him, I found myself nearly eye to eye with one of the world’s most extraordinary birds. I was fascinated, but also appropriately cautious because I knew how dangerous cassowaries can be when threatened.
Southern Cassowaries (Casuarius casuarius) inhabit tropical rainforests in northeastern Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. They feed primarily on fallen fruit and play an important ecological role by carrying large seeds through the forest and depositing them far from the parent trees. Their reproductive behavior is also unusual: the male incubates the eggs and then protects and raises the chicks.
Cassowaries generally avoid people, but their powerful legs and feet make them capable of inflicting severe and, in rare cases, fatal injuries. When defending themselves or their chicks, they can kick forward with tremendous force. The inner toe bears a long, dagger-like claw capable of producing deep slashing or puncture wounds and damaging major blood vessels. Birds that have been fed by people may lose their natural wariness and become especially hazardous. The danger is not merely theoretical: in 2019, a captive cassowary in Florida fatally injured its owner after he fell near the bird.
The Australian population is federally listed as Endangered. Habitat loss and fragmentation, vehicle collisions, and attacks by dogs remain important threats, particularly where rainforest has been divided by roads and development.
In Tribulation, I focused on the bird’s towering casque, brilliant blue head and neck, red wattles, intense orange eye, and almost prehistoric appearance. The title refers directly to Cape Tribulation, while also recalling the mixture of fascination and caution I felt while standing so close to this remarkable bird.
Tribulation is a colored pencil wildlife drawing of a Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art.