Northern Orosint

The Northern Orosint is readily distinguished from its sourthern cousin by the drabber plumage and far more intricate song. In its natural habitat, the orosint spends most of its time on the ground but flies vertically upwards to sing - its song lasting 20 to 30 seconds. Different songs are used for different purposes - the most clearly recognisable are the teriritorial song and the mating song.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Northern Orosint is typical of many song birds - small and drab.

Ecology and Habitats

Primarily a bird of the plains, it favours areas with enough elevation and drainage to afford dry ground nesting. Its nests are minimal - seldom nore than a shallow scrape with a little dry grass to support the eggs, or chicks.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Seeds and small insects form the majority of the orosint's diet.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Orosints normally live in isolation - breeding pairs mate for life but normally live separately for most of the year. The young typically stay with their mothers until the the next breeding season (late spring) during which time they learn the arts of singing that have made the species so well known.

Domestication

Orosints are surprisingly tamable - they are most often caught as adults, though easier to catch as chicks or collect as eggs. The reason for the preference for collecting the adults is that they have had the opportunity to learn the songs of the Orosint. Those taken as chicks or eggs seldom have as melodious and appealing a song.
In captivity they will breed, and this has allowed them to spread widely as a household accoutrement in the Kingdom of Mor - few households above the poverty line do not have at least one caged orosint for its song. The last few decades have seen the rise of selective breeding in the region around Durranmouth with these orosints famed and widely traded across northern Tarusia for their melodious song.

Mating Song of the Orosint

This is the main objective of the Durranmouth breeders - Orosints' mating songs work by forming variations on their mate's territorial songs. In consequence of this, a single orosint can act as a music box - pay it a tune (even just whistling a phrase) will result in it returning a variation and elaboration of the piece,
Although in nature, the orosint's song lasts 20 to 30 seconds, an orosint in a perch above the ground will sing for upwards of a minute. The longest songs are from birds bred by Harlan of Kingsholm .

Lifespan

5 years

Conservation Status

Common on the northern plains of the Kingdom of Mor, occasionally found south of the River Durran.

The Breeders of Durranmouth

Breeding of orosints is, if not big business, at least a very comforatable living for the best practitioners - though few make a full time living in this, there are perhaps a hundred or so in the area around Durranmouth who have it as at least a considerable sideline. Though many of these are hobbiests, several organisations have grown up with different areas of interest - and a common disdain for the other aspects of "The Liking" .

The Durranmouth Orosint Breeders' Association

The members of DOBA breed for the intricacy of the song - they have little interest in duration and most of their creations sing for the natural period, even when placed on a perch.

The Orosint Breeders Association of Durranmouth

Unlike DOBA, OBAD is more interested in the length of the song than the originality or intricacy. Harlan of Kingsholm has managed specimens that will sing for 30 minutes from the prompt of 10 seconds of whistled tune and even the most hardline of DOBA's members acknowledge that some of them sing "passing tolerable".

The Association of Durranmouth Orosint Breeders

Whilst both DOBA and ABOD value originality in the song, ADOB members have sought to achieve a fixed song - moulding the territorial song, rather than the mating song. Their best work act as living musical boxes able to sing upto an hour of music taught to them as chicks.

The Orosintists

A recent addition to the ranks of breeders, the Orosintists have attempted to breed for more colourful plumage by cross breeding northern and southern orosints. Though despised by DOBA, OBAD and ADOB members it is rumoured that all three organisations have used bloodlines from the Oronsinists.