Southern Cassowary

Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.

Chris Packham presents the roaring southern cassowary of Australia's Queensland. The territorial roaring calls of the world's second heaviest bird, the cassowary are odd enough, but it still won't prepare you for your first sighting of these extraordinary birds. Reaching a height of over 1.5 metres, they have thick legs armed with ferocious claws, blue – skinned faces and scarlet dangling neck- wattles. These are striking enough but it is the large horn, or casque, looking like a blunt shark's fin on the bird's head that really stands out. It's earned this giant its common name - cassowary comes from the Papuan for "horned head". Such a primitive looking creature seems out of place in the modern world and although the southern cassowary occurs widely in New Guinea, it's still hunted for food there. Cassowaries can kill dogs and injure people with their stout claws, but the bird usually comes off worst in confrontations.

Producer : Andrew Dawes