Inktober XVIII: Poison

Chirloons are birds that can inhale air and release a cloud of poison to kill prey or stun attackers. They are distributed throughout Endhaven and reside mostly in forested areas, though some have adapted to small wooded towns and villages.

Appearance

Chirloons are small and slim birds, weighing in at 35-50 lbs, 24-30 in tall, and 48-52 in wingspan at normal conditions. Their feathers are primarily of a dark green with two or three vertical brown stripes around the midsection. When inflated, chirloons can nearly double their size, though they can only maintain this for so long before secreting the poisonous gas or bursting a lung.

Behavior

Chirloons are fiercely territorial, especially among other members of the same species. To attack, they often prefer emitting poisonous clouds by taking in a large quantity of air to first intimidate the target by increasing the chirloon's size, then letting the air flow through a specialized gland that then releases the noxious cloud. This is their primary method of attack and defense, often lethal to any prey and very effective on repelling potential predators, even causing the deaths of some large species like generates. The other method of attack chirloons have is their talons, though these are hardly sharp enough to do more than stabilize or hold the birds onto branches. As such, because chirloons are immune to the poison they emit, fights between them are often very long and consume a lot of energy.

Distribution

Chirloons are found in forests throughout all of Endhaven, with some even venturing as far south as the jungles of Pulliday. Some have also moved towards small towns and villages along the edge of woods. Some speculate this is to due the increase of domestication of chirloons along the southern part of the Bushback Woods, though it could also be due to warmth emitted from houses during cold winters and organic scraps thrown out by residing villagers or hunters.