cassowary

Noun

Meaning

A large bird, of the genus Casuarius, found in the east Indies. It is smaller and stouter than the ostrich. Its head is armed with a kind of helmet of horny substance, consisting of plates overlapping each other, and it has a group of long sharp spines on each wing which are used as defensive organs. It is a shy bird, and runs with great rapidity. Other species inhabit New Guinea, Australia, etc.

Source: Webster's dictionary

Synonyms

emu bandicoot rhea moa boo echidna cockatoo chicken platypus birdie bilby nandu plume crocodile albatross
Show all synonyms

Hypernyms

ratite flightless bird ratite bird

Phrases with the word

dwarf cassowary two-wattled cassowary Bennett's cassowary cassowary tree double-wattled cassowary northern cassowary

Derivatives

cassowaries

Examples

As for eating the cassowary, it is supposed to be quite tough. Source: Internet

Harmer, S. F. & Shipley, A. E. (1899) Close-up of the head of a southern cassowary All three species have a keratinous skin covered casque on their heads which grows with age. Source: Internet

Illustration of cassowary skull The evolutionary history of cassowaries, as of all ratites, is not well known. Source: Internet

Kofron, C. P. (1999) The one documented human death was caused by a cassowary on 6 April 1926. 16-year-old Phillip McClean and his brother, aged 13, came across a cassowary on their property and decided to try to kill it by striking it with clubs. Source: Internet

Kofron, C. P. & Chapman, A. (2006) They then studied 140 cases of cassowary mortality and found that motor vehicle strikes accounted for 55% of them, and dog attacks produced another 18%. Source: Internet

Reproduction Southern cassowary The cassowary breeding season starts in May to June. Source: Internet

Close letter words and terms

Cassop-cum-Quarrington Cassopolis cassoulet Cassowary Coast cassowary plum cassowary tree