Which Australian bird is the world’s third-tallest living bird and has a bright blue neck?

The southern cassowary is the Australian bird that is the world’s third-tallest living bird and has a bright blue neck.

Southern cassowaries inhabit tropical rainforests and nearby habitats in northeastern Queensland, as well as New Guinea and parts of Indonesia. Adults have glossy black feathers, a blue neck, red wattles and a tall casque on the head.

The casque is a helmet-like structure whose exact function is still discussed, but it may help with display, communication or moving through dense vegetation. Cassowaries have powerful legs and a large inner claw, so people should never approach or feed them.

They are important seed dispersers. Cassowaries eat many fruits whole and later deposit the seeds across the forest, helping regenerate rainforest plants. Habitat fragmentation, vehicle collisions and dog attacks threaten some Australian populations.