The strangest bird in the forest

摘要

Deep in the Australian rainforest, the cassowary challenges all our preconceptions of what it is to be a bird: it can't fly, it plays like a mammal and its sexes have swapped roles. IN the Australian rainforest has a certain stillness about it The early morning cacophony of birds and the bustle of small, ground-dwelling animals have died down, and only the constant hum of cicadas remains. Ahead, in a small clearing, I spot her a blazing, multicoloured neck flashes in the sunlight, and a large, helmet-like casque protrudes from her head. She is taller than me - an imposing creature with a primeval stare - and she is spectacular. She is a southern cassowary.