Queen Bird
Tria, 08 Lia, Year 139 Third Cycle
Queen Birds are a species of hawk-like avian which is rarely found on and around the shores of Lake Nicodes. They are famed for their green-and-purple plumage, and moulted feathers fetch a high price as a luxury item for quills and decorations. Lordly titles in Dymee are accompanied by a set of Queen Bird quills, and the monarch of Dymee is known by the Queen Bird feather ruff worn about their neck.
Anatomy and Morphology
Queen Birds are small, but bulky birds of prey. They are well adapted to forests with short, broad wings and a fairly long tail in comparison to their body. They have fairly large, raptorial beaks, and their legs are considerably shorter than that of most raptor-type birds. These adaptions are thought to be due to the Queen Bird's signature hunting pattern of diving head-first into the water of Lake Nicodes to catch small fish.
These birds have sea-green and purple feathers on most of their body, and are countershaded with a cream color. They have an eyebrow tuft above each eye that is bright blue. Their beaks and talons are a deep, earthy purple, and the skin is a unique green hue.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Queen Birds are piscivores who primarily feed on fish of less than 15 cm in length, which they catch in the crepuscular hours of the day. On occasion, the birds have been known to scavenge carrion, although this is not a well-documented occurrence.
Uses and Exploitations
The only part of a Queen Bird that can be legally used in Dymee is the moulted feathers, although some poachers will sell the meat, skin, down, and talons of the bird. The bird's skin is known to be too thin to make anything more than the thinnest of green-tinted parchment, but the unique color attracts black market buyers from around Corivin. The meat is gamey and lean. By far the most valuable of the illegal goods that can be obtained from the Queen Bird, though, is their purple talons, which can be enchanted and used as talismans.
Comments