Recognising them as a new species of cassowary, he sent specimens back to England, where other taxonomists confirmed his perception.

On the west side of Cenderawasih Bay, western Papua, there is a distinctive form that may merit a split.

[5] This name is sometimes applied to C. b. westermanni subspecies, and may represent a distinct species, but the taxonomy is still unresolved.

[2] It is a flightless bird with hard and stiff black plumage, a low triangular casque, pink cheek and red patches of skin on its blue neck.

Females have longer casques, brighter bare skin colour and are larger in size.

[2] The dwarf cassowary's total population is distributed over an area of approximately 258,000 km2 (100,000 sq mi).

Dwarf cassowaries use the crest on their head to sort through leaf litter and reveal many sources of food, such as fungi, insects, plant tissue, and small vertebrates, including lizards and frogs.