Man attacked and killed in Florida by large flightless bird

A man has been killed by a large flightless bird.

Police in Alachua, Florida said the man – who was 75 – appears to have fallen near a cassowary he owned before it attacked him.

Cassowaries, one of the largest extant species of bird in the world, are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea.

They are usually between five and six feet tall and have a deadly claw on each foot of about 10 centimetres.

The birds can run at speeds of up to 50 kilometres an hour.

Alachua County fire rescue deputy chief Jeff Taylor told The Gainesville Sun the 911 call came in around 10 a.m. on Friday.

“My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell,” he said. “When he fell, he was attacked.”