Cassowary vs Ostrich: Key Differences Explained

By md.admin Last updated Jul 3, 2022

Comparing a Cassowary and an Ostrich

Cassowaries are smaller and suited for life in the jungle.

A-Z-Animals.com

	Cassowary	Ostrich
Size	Height: 60-72 inches Weight: Up to 187 lbs	Height: 84-112 inches Weight: 139-320 lbs
Appearance	Large birds with black plumage, colored necks of blue, red, and orange, with a distinct casque (keratinous head structure).	Large bird with black and white plumage. Legs, necks, and heads are pinkish.
Range	Northeastern Australia, New Guinea, and other small islands.	Various regions across Africa.
Habitat	Dense rainforests	Savannas, semi-desert, and true desert.
Social Structure	Solitary birds.	Pairs or alone, sometimes organized into larger groups.
Various species	Three extant species	Two extant species

The 6 main differences between a Cassowary and an Ostrich

The key differences between a cassowary and an ostrich are the size, appearance, range, and social structure. Cassowaries are smaller and live in the jungles of Australasia. Ostriches are larger and live in arid regions of Africa.

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In the battle of the biggest bird on earth, the ostrich and the cassowary are the top contenders. Although the emu is often classed along with these two, they weigh less than both, despite being a slight bit taller than cassowaries. Still, the ostrich reigns supreme as the largest bird on earth and has for quite some time.

Although the cassowary and ostrich have a lot of similarities (large flightless birds that have a similar shape), there are plenty of differences that can help us tell them apart. Aside from size, these birds live in very different regions of the world, have different diets, prefer different habitats, and have different social lives.

Today, we are going to explore these differences in some detail. Let’s get started and compare the Cassowary vs Ostrich!

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Cassowary vs Ostrich: Size

The cassowary is the second heaviest and third tallest bird in the world. Their close relative, the emu, is often taller than the cassowary, but the cassowary is significantly denser. Generally, the cassowary can hit up to 187 lbs in weight. Additionally, it can reach a height of 60-72 inches (6 feet tall).

The ostrich holds the top spot as the heaviest and tallest bird in the world by a substantial margin. Although the cassowary is in second, the competition isn’t all that close. On average, an ostrich weighs between 139-320 lbs, double that of a large cassowary. Additionally, ostriches can reach heights of 84-112 inches (over 9 feet tall).

Cassowary vs Ostrich: Appearance

Although both birds are large and flightless, they are quite easy to tell apart. The cassowary is a stout bird with shiny black plumage over its body. Its neck is a vibrant blue color and is often splashed with orange or red. Additionally, cassowaries have a large casque that resembles a shark fin on their heads. This strange feature is believed to protect them from falling fruits since they spend so much time defending fruiting trees.

The ostrich is a large bird but appears less stout when compared to the cassowary, although it is much larger. Its plumage is black and white, although it is flatter in color when compared to the shiny plumage of the cassowary. Additionally, the ostrich has pinkish-grey skin on its legs, neck, and head. Their heads are covered in a fine down that isn’t visible unless up close.

Cassowary vs Ostrich: Range

The cassowary is native to Australasia, a region encompassing Australia and some of the neighboring islands in the Pacific to the north. Its Australian range is limited to the wet, tropical northeast region. It also lives in New Guinea and the surrounding island chains, including East Nusa Tenggara and the Maluku Islands.

The ostrich is a well-known inhabitant of Africa, although its historical range was much larger. It is currently found in the southern regions of the Sahara, all around the Horn of Africa, and across the southern quarter of the continent. Historically, ostriches lived across the Middle East before being hunted to extinction by humans.

Cassowary vs Ostrich: Habitat

The cassowary is a bird adapted for a wet, tropical climate. Additionally, fruit is the primary source of food for this bird, forcing it to reside in deep regions of rainforest and jungle. It is known to occasionally venture into arid regions like savannas and scrublands, but it is quite rare.

Ostriches are well-adapted to arid conditions. They are often found in dry savannas, grasslands, semi-arid deserts, and even true deserts like the Sahara. An ostrich can lose 25% of its body weight in water and still survive, making them excellent and hardy creatures that thrive in these harsh environments.

The cassowary is a solitary bird that rarely interacts with its own species, let alone humans. It often melts away into dense jungle before a human ever even knows it was there, making itself quite elusive. Cassowaries only really interact with each other during mating season.

Ostriches are more social than the cassowary and are similar to the emu in their habits. Most ostriches will pair up and travel with their partner. This partnership allows one to be on the lookout and the other to forage. Additionally, ostriches will occasionally form larger groups, but this is much less common than their simple pairing formation.

Cassowary vs Ostrich: Various Species

There are three species of cassowary alive today:

Cassowary:

Southern cassowary, Casuarius casuarius
Northern cassowary, Casuarius unappendiculatus
Dwarf cassowary, Casuarius bennetti

There are two recognized species of ostrich today:

Common ostrich, Struthio camelus
Blue-necked ostrich, Struthio molybdophanes

Comparing a Cassowary and an Ostrich

	Cassowary	Ostrich
Size	Height: 60-72 inches Weight: Up to 187 lbs	Height: 84-112 inches Weight: 139-320 lbs
Appearance	Large birds with black plumage, colored necks of blue, red, and orange, with a distinct casque (keratinous head structure).	Large bird with black and white plumage. Legs, necks, and heads are pinkish.
Range	Northeastern Australia, New Guinea, and other small islands.	Various regions across Africa.
Habitat	Dense rainforests	Savannas, semi-desert, and true desert.
Social Structure	Solitary birds.	Pairs or alone, sometimes organized into larger groups.
Various species	Three extant species	Two extant species