A large flightless bird that killed its elderly owner is being put up for auction in Florida.

The cassowary – an emu-like bird native to Australia and New Guinea – was one of around 100 exotic pets owned by 75-year-old Marvin Hajos before it killed him earlier this month.

It attacked Hajos after he slipped and fell on his property near Gainesville.

Now the bird will go up for sale at the Gulf Coast Livestock Auction in accordance with his last wishes, according to the Gainesville Sun.

The Auction house’s Facebook page advertises the “absolute auction and complete dispersal of the animal estate of Marvin Hajos” as taking place on April 27.

Two cassowaries are listed among the inventory, alongside a host of other exotic animals including marmosets, lemurs, emus and kookaburras.

The cassowary is described by San Diego Zoo as “the most dangerous bird in the world” because of a four-inch “dagger-like claw” it has on each foot.

“The cassowary can slice open any predator or potential threat with a single swift kick,” reads the description on the zoo’s website.

Belfast Telegraph