Avians - Tumblr Posts

Homo Avis: Engel and Plume’s Species

Working on creating a fandomless species for my bird-people characters. This includes my characters Engel, Plume, Caleb, and Stolas.

Scientific name: Homo avis

Common name: Avian

Meaning: “Bird-like man”

Social structures: Avians can either be social creatures, living in large flocks that can have as many as 200 members, or in pairs. The only time an avian may be alone is when they chose to leave a flock to join another, exiled members, or individuals seeking to start their own flock.

Parents and chicks form bonds that can be lifelong. Even when the chicks have reached adulthood and fledged, they will assist in raising new chicks their parents are tending.

Temperament: Just like humans, Avians can have a range of personalities. They display many of their emotions with wing poses/movements, tail and feather displays, varying vocalizations, and in some groups through the use of stance and movements.

Certain groups are known for being more aggressive, especially if they are “raptors”. These avian members are carnivores and often stick to their own flocks only. Omnivorous and fruitarians tend to be more lax in nature, especially around non avian species.

Nesting Habits: Avians can have 1-3 eggs at one time. The eggs develop inside the mother for 3 months, before laying them. Once laid, the parents take turns keeping them warm for nearly 3 more months. This gives the growing chick inside a chance to grow stronger than a typical human infant would in development. However, these last three months are crucial. Only one or two eggs manage to successfully hatch. The more eggs laid equals a higher chance of mortality due to smaller sizes and individual care.

Once the eggs hatch, it is not uncommon for several mothers to combine their broods. They then share equal parenting over the chicks. The males are most likely to care for only their chicks however.

Appearance: Avians can range in the structure of their feathers and colors. Some are still adapted to camouflage, while others can be brightly colored. Some are even dull colored, such as gray’s and blacks, to vivid stark white. Patterns can vary from individual to individual as well. Typically all Avians have a form of tail with feathers, may it be standard bird feathers, to feathers like a peacock, to whip-like tails with 1 to multiple feathers at the end.

Avian Diets

I imagine the standard angel is sooner to consume plants and fruits, possibly even fish. However, Avians (bird people) have diets reflecting that of the species of bird they are.

Raptors, owls, and carnivorous bird avians will mostly eat meat. Eagles, hawks, and owls can eat more red meat than smaller carnivorous bird people, who may prefer fish and white meats. Carrion avians are notorious for preserving meats and eating more rare than cooked.

Song birds and hummingbird avians are more similar to angels. They prefer fruits and seeds. Some, like crows and blue jays, can eat some meat but it is not their main diet. Most songbird avians are excitable to nectars and flowers.

There are rare cross-breeds that can have a large variety of dietary options. However one side will often show through more than the other. Legendary avians, such as Phoenix based ones, are said to never eat anything except the ash that they are reborn from.

Head Canon: Avian Engel’s Scars

In verses where Engel is an avian, such as FF au and circus au, he comes from a species known for being prideful and judgemental of those that deviant. Engel is an offspring between two different avian clans that disagree with one another’s cultures. When Engel’s clan on his father side discovered this devious affair, they took their spite out on their son.

Under Engel’s dark feathers are scars from where they were once ripped out. Blood feathers were even forcibly yanked, leaving the young avian to nearly bleed to death. In his normal avian appearance the scars are hardly noticeable. But in his “angelic” form (humanoid with wings) the scars are clearly visible. He bears a mark between his wing blades symbolizing him as being “fake feathered”, a sign to tell other avians he is not accepted into their culture. It is because of this and past mistreatments that Engel does not believe he will ever find another avian mate.

Okay so this is not even a critique or much of a commentary but it’s just acknowledging some Sly Cooper… design choices that keep bouncing around in my head rent free

Like I’ve never seen anyone talk about some of this

- the boldness of making a full 1/3rd of the enemies to be encountered in Paris frog people

- Speaking of Paris, apparently those flashlight guards kid me could only guess were some kind of scary cows have this entire time been warthogs.

- just always thought these cyclops squid guards from Relaigh’s level were interesting.

- boldness part 2: Pigs have consistently been the animal of choice to represent the wider police force behind Carmelita, up until only the third game

- Between the bats, the pigeons, the parrots, and the vultures I need Sucker Punch to answer me straight whether or not all the avians are actually typically capable of flight or not. In-game play seems to suggest they do have some limited form of flight and may just be weighed down by personal objects. Clockwerk flies, sure, but he’s a massive jet boosted android. But wait, Arpeggio’s entire sad backstory is that he couldn’t fly, so that MUST mean the norm for birds in this world is fully flight-functional wings. The reason I’m BEGGING to know is so I can say if it’s canon or not that bird people in Sly Cooper can just take off at any moment by flapping their arms ala Bojack Horseman, because it would be hilarious

- sorry I’m actually not finished with the birds but seriously, are their wings functionally hands or not? Clockwerk has literally been seen to only grab things with his feet, the bats in the Contessa levels certainly don’t seem to get any manual dexterity out of theirs, but????

Okay! So that actually settles it- except in game vulture guards also… only ever… use their feet to handle those same crossbows.

I’ll try to tell the little hamster in my brain it should really stop asking questions about the birds at this point tbh

Meet otto! He was really talkative tonight

The avians of minecraft

Also know as: the squawk

(Click for better quality)