Dragonbirds

The  Dragonbird is a very large solitary bird that nests in the outer forested cliffs of Aurora and whose general form is reminiscent of a peacock but for the scale and the differences in train. Measuring from 2 to 3 meters in body length, it sports an impressive 9 meter wingspan and a tail almost always longer than the body of the bird itself.

Instead of being the eye-catching iridescent train of the pheasant, the Dragonbird’s tail is split in two groups of very long and flexible feathers unraveling from the base of the flight tail, resembling more groups of carnival ribbons than feathers. The plumage is colorful, presents almost endless variations among populations of Dragonbirds, and naturally collects Air crystals since they spend the majority of their waking time soaring the currents around the cliffs looking for prey.This is why Dragonbird plumage has been prized by enchanters, magicians and artists alike, as they make quills of superb quality and versatility thanks to the natural empathic properties of such objects. Very territorial, Dragonbirds are a danger to airships and skiffs that trespass it, and their natural command of their known current makes it a shaky proposition to engage one if unprepared.

The beak is short but sharp, and curved to help on disemboweling the mammal and avian prey they catch, but curiously they do not sport the usual claws present in other birds of prey, with only one long claw on each foot, which they use  for the same feeding purpose. Dragonbirds prefer to hunt prey by leading it off the cliff and repeatedly smashing it against the rocks during the fall, using its superb control of air currents they lead the soon to be eaten carcasses to specially prepared outgrowths of rock that act as feeding tables for the birds.

Dragonbirds do not mate for life, and the male only stays with the female during rearing, after which he is chased off. The female lays clutches of two to three large, blue shelled eggs, in nests built in the same outcrops used for feeding, fenced with discarded foliage from nearby trees. Dragonbirds are known for tending their cliff forests carefully, guiding patches of mist and clouds on their flights to water their territory, as such lush patches of vegetation on otherwise barren cliff faces are a sure sign of Dragonbird territory.