A southern cassowary chick hatched at Birdland Park & Gardens in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, in 2024. The park called it the first successful cassowary hatch in its history, the fourth in Europe that year and the first UK birth since 2021. EAZA’s 2024 annual report also records the hatch as Birdland’s first. This is a retrospective account of that 2024 event, not a newly reported birth.
Why the 2024 hatch was unusual
Birdland described the chick as a rare arrival by reference to the hatch records available at the time: it was the park’s first successful hatch, the fourth cassowary chick to hatch in Europe during 2024, and the first born in the UK since 2021. Those figures describe births in that year; they do not establish a longer-term population or breeding trend. Birdland’s 2024 announcement gives the event details, while EAZA’s 2024 annual report independently records Birdland’s first-ever southern cassowary hatch during that breeding season.
What kind of bird hatched?
The chick was a southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), a large, flightless bird native to Australia and New Guinea. Adults have black body feathers and brightly coloured bare skin—blue and red—on the head and neck. Young chicks have yellow-and-black stripes. BirdLife Australia’s species profile describes the species’ appearance and biology.
How cassowary chicks are raised
In southern cassowaries, the male takes over incubation after the eggs are laid and cares for the chicks. Birdland reported that incubation may last up to two months and that young birds may remain with their father for up to 16 months. The park also said the father protects and teaches the young; these durations are Birdland’s reported figures, not a guarantee for every nest.
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How this hatch fits into conservation breeding
Birdland said the chick’s parents had lived at the park since 2012 and were part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP). The male came from Avifauna in Alphen, Netherlands, and the female from Frankfurt, Germany. The EEP is a managed breeding programme; the hatch is evidence of a successful breeding event at Birdland, not by itself evidence of a change in the species’ wild population.
On the BirdLife Australia profile consulted for this account, the southern cassowary was listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Conservation assessments can change, so that status should be understood as the listing shown on the profile, not a claim that the species faces no threats.
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Why cassowaries have a dangerous reputation
“World’s most dangerous bird” is a headline reputation, not a formal scientific ranking. Cassowaries are large, powerful birds with dagger-like claws, and their size and speed mean people should treat them cautiously. That does not mean they routinely attack people.
Birdland keeper Alistair Keen said: “They are the only birds on site that have their own risk assessment as they are potentially so hazardous.” His comment describes precautions at the park, not a comparative scientific measure of danger. Birdland’s current visitor site lists cassowaries among its birds; check the park directly for current opening and visitor information.
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