Casuariiformes
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The Casuariiformes /kæsjuːˈæri.ɪfɔːrmiːz/ is an order of large flightless birds that has four surviving members: the three species of cassowary, and the only remaining species of emu. They are divided into either a single family, Casuariidae.[3][4]
All four living members are native to Australia-New Guinea,[5] but some possible extinct taxa occurred in other landmasses.
Systematics and evolution
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The emus form a distinct branch, characterized by legs adapted for running. The total number of cassowary species described, based on minor differences in casque shape and color variations, formerly reached nine.[6] Now, however, only three species are recognized, and most authorities only acknowledge few subspecies or none at all.
Some Australian fossils initially believed to be from emus were recognized to represent a distinct genus, Emuarius,[a] which had a cassowary-like skull and femur and an emu-like lower leg and foot. In addition, the first fossils of mihirungs were initially believed to be from giant emus,[b] but these birds were completely unrelated.
It has been suggested[who?] that the South American genus Diogenornis was a casuariiform bird, instead of a member of the rheas, the current South American lineage of giant ground birds. If this were the case, not only would it extend the fossil range of this lineage to a wider region, but to a broader time span as well, since Diogenornis occurs in the late Paleocene and is among the earliest known ratites.[7] In the late 19th century, a fossil casuariid (Hypselornis) was named from India based on a single toe bone, however it was later shown to belong to a crocodilian.[8]
A question regarding this order is whether emus or cassowaries are the more primitive form, if either. Emus are generally assumed to retain more ancestral features, in part because of their more modest coloration, but this does not necessarily have to be the case. The casuariiform fossil record is ambiguous, and the present knowledge of their genome is insufficient for comprehensive analysis. Resolving the cladistic issues will require combination of all these approaches, with at least the additional consideration of plate tectonics.
Taxonomy
Casuariiformes (Sclater, 1880) Forbes 1884[9][10][11]
- ?†Diogenornis Alvarenga, 1983 (Paleocene of Brazil)
- †Diogenornis fragilis Alvarenga, 1983
- Casuariidae Kaup, 1847 (emus and cassowaries)
- †Emuarius Boles, 1992 (emuwaries) (Late Oligocene – Late Miocene)
- †Emuarius gidju (Patterson & Rich 1987) Boles, 1992
- †Emuarius guljaruba Boles, 2001
- Casuarius (Linnaeus 1758) Brisson, 1760 (cassowary)
- †Casuarius lydekkeri Rothschild, 1911 (Pygmy cassowary)
- Casuarius casuarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Brisson, 1760 (Southern cassowary)
- Casuarius unappendiculatus Blyth 1860 (Northern cassowary)
- Casuarius bennetti Gould, 1857 (Dwarf cassowary)
- Dromaius Vieillot, 1816 (modern emus) (Middle Miocene – Recent)
- †Dromaius arleyekweke Yates & Worthy, 2019
- †Dromaius ocypus Miller, 1963
- Dromaius novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) Vieillot 1816 (emu)
- †D. n. minor Spencer, 1906 (King Island/black emu)
- †D. n. baudinianus Parker, 1984 (Kangaroo Island/dwarf emu)
- †D. n. diemenensis (Jennings, 1827) Le Souef, 1907 (Tasmanian emu)
- D. n. novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) (Australian emu)
- †Emuarius Boles, 1992 (emuwaries) (Late Oligocene – Late Miocene)
Summary of extant species
The IOC World Bird List (version 15.1) recognizes 4 species of Casuariiformes.[12] As of December 2025, IUCN/BirdLife International has assessed all species within the order, and three of four have population estimates.
| Common name | Binomial name | Population | Status | Trend | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf cassowary | Casuarius bennetti | unknown[13] | Template:IUCN-LC[13] | Decrease[13] | File:Casuarius bennetti Drwarf Cassowary Papua New Guinea by Nick Hobgood.jpg | |
| Northern cassowary | Casuarius unappendiculatus | 10,000-19,999[14] | Template:IUCN-LC[14] | Decrease[14] | File:Casuarius unappendiculatus -Northern Cassowary -oblique front.jpg | |
| Southern cassowary | Casuarius casuarius | 20,000-49,999[15] | Template:IUCN-LC[15] | Decrease[15] | File:Double-wattled Cassowary.jpg | |
| Common emu
(Emu) |
Dromaius novaehollandiae | 630,000-725,000[16] | Template:IUCN-LC[16] | Steady[16] | File:Dromaius novaehollandiae qtl1.jpg |
Footnotes
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References
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- ^ Brand, S. (2008)
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brodkob, Pierce (1963). "Catalogue of fossil birds 1- Archaeopterygiformes through Ardeiformes". Biological Sciences, Bulletin of the Florida State Museum. 7 (4): 180–293. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ratites: Ostriches to tinamous". IOC World Bird List v15.1. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)". Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ Clements, J (2007)
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Scalter, P. L. (14 October 1875). "Cassowaries". Nature. 12 (311): 516–517. Bibcode:1875Natur..12..516S. doi:10.1038/012516a0.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Alvarenga, H. (2010). "Diogenornis fragilis Alvarenga, 1985, restudied: a South American ratite closely related to Casuariidae". Proceedings of the 25th International Ornithological Congress, Campos do Jordão, Brazil, 22–28 August 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lowe, P. R. (1929). "Some remarks on Hypselornis sivalensis Lydekker". Ibis. 71 (4): 571–576. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1929.tb08775.x.
- ^ Mikko's Phylogeny Archive [1] Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Haaramo, Mikko (2007). "PALEOGNATHIA- paleognathous modern birds". Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ Paleofile.com (net, info) Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Paleofile.com". Archived from the original on 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2015-12-30.. Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Taxonomic lists- Aves". Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ [2] Script error: No such module "webarchive". Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Perron, Richard (2010). "Taxonomy of the Genus Casuarius". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ratites: Ostriches to tinamous – IOC World Bird List". www.worldbirdnames.org. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
- ^ a b c Template:Cite IUCN
- ^ a b c Template:Cite IUCN
- ^ a b c Template:Cite IUCN
- ^ a b c Template:Cite IUCN
References
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Boles, Walter E. (2001). "A new emu (Dromaiinae) from the Late Oligocene Etadunna Formation". Emu. 101 (4): 317–321. Bibcode:2001EmuAO.101..317B. doi:10.1071/MU00052. S2CID 1808852.
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Brands, Sheila (Apr 8, 2012). "Taxon: Order Casuariiformes". Project: The Taxonomicon. Retrieved Jun 17, 2012.
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Clements, James (2007). The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World (6 ed.). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 978-0-8014-4501-9.
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Folch, A. (1992). "Family Casuariidae (Cassowaries)". In del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jose (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World, Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 90–97. ISBN 84-87334-09-1.
External links
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