Reaching up to 5 feet in height, the Cassowary is only average sized for a ratite. They have a bony, gray helmet, which protects them when running through the forest. The skin on the head is pale blue, darkening further down on the neck. They also have some red lateral skin on the neck, as well as two long, red, free-swinging wattles that originate at the front of the neck. The body is black and they have short green-gray or brown-gray legs. The female of the species is usually slightly large and more brightly colored than the male. The female is also more aggressive in nature. Young Cassowaries are downy, with a yellowish-brown body with black stripes. They begin to develop their adult plumage and coloring at about three months. Juvenile Cassowaries have a brownish head and lacks the casque or helmet. Their plumage darkens, as they grow older.
