Because the birds sometimes damage crops, farmers often shoot at them. A native of Australia, Papua New Guinea, and nearby islands, this ratite is the third largest living bird. One of the three toes on its feet bears a long nail that can disembowel a human being. Adult birds are black in color. Immature specimens are brown.
Cassowaries feed on fruits and small animals.
Native to New Zealand, these ratites are among the world's oddest creatures. Apteryx australis, the common kiwi, has tiny useless wings hidden within its soft, grayish-brown, hairlike plumage. The legs are stout and muscular. A large claw occurs on each of the four toes. Kiwis live in forests, sleeping in burrows during the day and foraging at night for worms, insects, larvae, and berries.