Bloodbill
From Mizahar Lore
| "Careful, they don't bite often, but when they do you're looking at a chunk of hand you're never getting back." - Saylk of the Morning Bird, Myrian hunter |
Bloodbills are the distinctively colored creatures that occupy the bows of the Mikmik Tree. Social, fussy creatures, Bloodbills are prized for the supple leather of their wings. Despite their intimidating appearance they prefer to flee from hostile forces than take them head on.
| Falyndar Fauna | |
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| Frequency | Common |
|---|---|
| Threat level | Low |
| Major features | Bright red bills, sharp black talons |
| Abilities | Strong bills, leather wings that allow for gliding |
| Most common in | Jungle Wilds |
Contents |
Location
Despite the name given to this flying animal, bloodbills do not eat meat and are strictly herbivores, favoring the fruit of the Mikmik Tree. Because of this, they are most commonly found where ever one is rooted. Often staying close to the canopy, these little creatures make their nests in the spiny tops of the tree, using the coarse leaves that the tree provides. While not very typical, hungry Bloodbills can have tendency to swoop down to the floor below to retrieve a fallen pit, or to deter those who threaten their young.
Frequency
Rather common in the Falyndar Jungle, Bloodbills are quite useful in the way they live. Favoring the core of the mikmik fruit, they will use their strong beaks to snap at the tough skin of the treat until they are able to push back the flesh and retrieve the pit. They will then discard the rest to the floor below for other animals to consume. This behavior helps various jungle dwellers receive a meal, while also feeding themselves.
Chracteristics
The most common characteristic of these creatures are their bright red bills, giving them their name. When they are born, Bloodbills do not have this signature coloring, and the hatchlings gain color with age, usually after two weeks. If their beak does not turn red by this time, often the animal is sick and will be thrown out of the nest by its mother as to prevent the disease from spreading.
Other characteristics of this creature are the the blue bands that wrap around its long tail, with it ending in a leathery bulb. A smaller, pink bulb indicated that the Bloodbill is female, while a larger, bright red one indicates a male. Both sexes, however, are covered with thick muscle which weighs them down as well as protects them in the unlikely scenario that they fall to the jungle floor. Due to their density, Bloodbills do not fly far distances, and instead glide from branch to branch, using their tails and soft, back talons to catch them. Their front limbs work more like tiny hands, having two finger like appendages which they use to grip the mikmik fruit while they eat. In the case of falling to the ground, Bloodbills can climb back to the treetops, using these fingers and the hooks at the crook of each wing to grip the bark and pull themselves upwards rather quickly to escape potential predators.
Weighing on average between 10-12 pounds, these creatures can for the most part fit into hands of a Myrian. The thick leather of their wings is sought after for the making of weapon handles, as it dries out and still remains supple. In a pinch, these creatures can be eaten, but for the most part, are usually scared off by people who would rather collect the mikmik fruit instead.
Social Structure
Bloodbills are social creatures, a single one almost never found by itself unless it has been rejected due to illness or deformity. Usually groups ranging between 5-8 Bloodbills are found in a single tree at any one time, their acceptance of one another not often surpassing this as nesting rights are ferociously competitive.
Each group is usually made up of only two to three females, with the rest being male. The size of the group depends highly on how much space the tree provides for nesting, as Bloodbills will fight over these areas using the strong beaks to bite at one another, and their tails to whip the other out of the tree. Males tend to be more aggressive than females, as having a nest usually indicates whether or not a female will choose a mate. This territorial fighting will continue on until one competitor goes to a different tree or is injured and must submit. During these confrontations, Bloodbills will give off loud warning screams, the noises they make giving the tree they reside in its name (mikmik).
When two Bloodbills mate, both sexes will begin residing in the nest, the male remaining present until the female becomes impregnated and her eggs (2-3) hatch. Before impregnation, another male can still battle for nesting rights, the female now having the option to choose the victor and kick the original male from the nest if she so wishes. Such cases are not rare, and the other male will move on to make another nest, or steal one, to attract another female. Once the female lays her eggs, the male will stop protecting both mother and nest and will leave to repeat the cycle.
It is at this point that the female will remain with her eggs for up to a month, leaving only to gather food or avoid predators that can not be deterred. Once her young hatches, she will feed them grub and insects found with the mikmik's gnarled bark, scooping them up with her mouth and bringing them to the hatchlings.
Two weeks after the young hatches, the mother then begins to introduce them to the mikmik pit, often crushing it in her bill until it cracks, scattering the pieces in the nest for her young to compete for. At three weeks, the baby Bloodbills begin to test their wings and will often jump between branches. It is at this stage that their bills are large enough to begin opening up their own mikmik fruit and the mother will commonly leave them to fend for themselves.
Other Bloodbills in the group will accept this young until they are sexually mature, or around the age of 4 months. It is then that they start competing for nests, which will result in them leaving their original tree or fighting to stay. If a Bloodbill does not have a nest, or is female and waiting to choose a mate, they will often use their tail and hang upside down at night to sleep, much like bats. This behavior never lasts long, as most end up moving on to another mikmik tree if possible.
Additional Information
These creatures are not openly hostile to other animals or humans unless threatened or fearful. Not commonly domesticated or taken as pets, Bloodbills are rather nippy and that often deters those who wish to train them. Rather intelligent creatures with short attention spans, if one was patient, they could become friendly towards a trainer, however the Bloodbill would need to be raised from an early age.
Those who do take on the task of raising a Bloodbill (after usually saving it from being thrown from the nest and helping it recover from sickness) are faced with the challenge of providing it with an ample supply of mikmik pits and its aggression during the Fall mating season.
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Out of character note: Requires L2 in Animal Husbandry to tame and train a Bloodbill |