The order Casuariformes comprises two families: the Casuaridae, or cassowaries, and the Dromiceidae, or emus, strong stout birds with quite rudimentary wings and very characteristic feet. Cassowaries weigh about 220 lb and possess unusually strong legs. The feathers are generally dark, the head is bare, with a helmet which is larger in the male than in the female; the neck is also naked and usually wattled. Growing from the rudimentary wings are from three to five long wiry, vaneless quills in place of the usual flight feathers.

These birds inhabit the wooded country of New Guinea, Obi Island, the Aru Islands, New Britain, the north of Queensland and Ceram. They run with great swiftness and can deliver strong kicks. The eggs are green, of rough texture and weigh more than 17 oz. The hen deposits from 3 to 6 eggs in the nest in the depression in the soil, and the cock incubates alone.

The Australian cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, stands up to 5 ft high and the head carries a high helmet. There are three toes, the inner one possessing a long sharp claw - a formidable weapon capable of causing serious injuries. The feathers are dark, almost black, the neck is bare, the throat blue and the hind neck scarlet, with two long wattles in front.

The sole representative of the family Dromiceidae is the emu, Dromiceius novaehollandiae, of Australia and Tasmania. It is related to the cassowaries but lacks the helmet and wattles; the head and neck are fathered. It stands up to 5 ft or more high. The plumage is brown, the head black. The short rudimentary wings hang unused. Emus inhabit the open plains. The 7-12 dark green eggs laid by the female are incubated almost exclusively by the male.