Kokomahs Bird
Kokomahs Bird | |
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Information | |
Natural Habitat: | Kahlahra, mountains. Zul Kiras, Emil, Teldanar |
Classification: | Bird |
Average Size: | 6ft beak to tail, wingspan average of 15ft |
Average Weight: | 20-25lbs |
Coloring: | Color changing based off season |
Large, rather intelligent bird found in the northern regions of Arangoth, mostly in Khalar territory. Their numbers are decreasing due to their meat being prized by nobles as a treat.
Description
Between twenty and twenty five pounds average this bird has a variety of strange attributes. It has the ability to change the color of it's feathers depending on the season which makes it a rather prized commodity both in food trade and in the ceremonies of individual Khalar tribes. During the summer and fall months, it's plumage is rather drab, a mixture of spots of grays, blacks and browns. As winter approaches, this color fades to a striking white, also mixed with splatters of black and brown (this, of course, is to allow it to blend in with its surroundings). In spring, however, all of these usual colors give way to a spectacular blend of orange, green and red, used in the bird's mating rituals.
Habitat
The Kokomahs bird normally makes its nests in rock, the crags of cliffs and on high places in the mountainous area of Kahlahra. The bird seems to prefer these nesting points for the ability to launch from the high vantage point as well as the security that it offers their young during the sitting process.
Breeding Habits
In the spring the birds gather in a specific breeding ground, flocks of them all swoop down to mate. As much as this leaves them open to being hunted by humans for their horns and flesh, the peoples of the area keep these grounds fairly guarded. If one of the birds is killed or attacked the likelihood that the entire group will take wing and seek refuge in their mountain nests is high. Hunters found that this dramatically decreases the population of the birds as they are less likely to return to breed until the next spring even after the danger has passed.
The male of the species has two nub-like horns on the top of its head, these are used to stimulate the female into ovulating by rubbing them on specific spots of the female's body.
Other Characteristics
The nubs that the bird uses in mating are often ground them up to make a paste that is said to heal the worst of wounds. This, of course, is pure speculation and has never been verified, though the use of the paste is still practiced.
Its flesh is considered a delicacy by nobles and royalty in the area, and due to the demand for all of its parts, along with the rather flighty way the birds have in their spring time mating the Kokomahs Bird is getting harder and harder to find.
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