Casuariidae Casuariidae The bird family Casuariidae has four surviving members: the three species of cassowary and the emu. All living members of the family are very large flightless birds native to Australia-New Guinea, though the extinct potential member "Hypselornis" was native to India. The characteristics of the family are those of its members. The fossil record of casuariforms is interesting, but not very extensive. Some Australian fossils initially believed to be from emus were recognized to represent a distinct genus, "Emuarius", which had a cassowary-like skull and femur and an emu-like lower leg and foot. A Pliocene Indian ratite, "Hypselornis", has
Mallee emu-wren Mallee emu-wren The mallee emu-wren ("Stipiturus mallee") is a species of bird in the Australasian wren family, Maluridae. It is endemic to Australia. Its natural habitat is temperate grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss. The mallee emu-wren is one of three species of the genus "Stipiturus", commonly known as emu-wrens. It was first described in 1908 by Archibald James Campbell, and has been considered a subspecies of both of the other two species; with anywhere from one to three species recognised in total. No subspecies are recognised. The common name of the genus is derived from the resemblance of