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The Sheathbeaks — Description
The Sheathbeaks are a clade of paravians native to Drecel characterized by their long bony tails, an enlarged, mobile, and fleshy alula, and their unique beaks. Unlike other birds, sheathbeaks have a reduced dentary and maxilla (jaw) bones towards the tip, little more then bony cores entombed in flesh and a keratinous tissue. The internals of this structure are similar to a hoof. With the beak's shape no longer determined by the bone beneath, it allows some species of sheathbeaks to exploit many different food sources over the course of the year or their lifetime. Other species have secondarily-ossified beaks to provide more structure. Hidden beneath their beaks is another secret: venom glands. Not all species produce venom and most only a weak form but two sheathbeaks are particularly renowned for their venom and willingness to use it.
1. The Red-Shouldered Spat. Standing nearly 3 meters tall at the head, spats are among the largest flying birds in Drecel. They are facultatively quadrupedal, able to bare weight on their alula. While grazing on lush grasses, young shoots, and water plants, they stay on all fours. When its time to take off, they can either sprint and flap or quad-launching. The red-shouldered spat is a migrant to the Pryeplume Valley, flocks fly in during the summer before returning to the wetlands along the west coast for breeding. While in the Valley, they face many predators such as dirernes, venitors, and eversaurs. To defend themselves, spats rely on vast numbers, vigilance, and an indiscriminate spray of venom. Some related species have bright displays and visible sacks to advertise its toxicity, the red-shouldered does not, appearing inconspicuous until it spits a glob of venom and mucus at an attacker. The venom is meant to be easily absorbed by the skin and causes an inflammatory response, itching, redness, pain, and swelling. Because of their large size, skilled flight, and metabolically costly venom, spats require nutrient rich diets. Flocks migrate for the best feeding grounds. Males have brighter red markings and are slightly larger then females. Young males violently compete for mates, hoping to find a match that will last them a lifetime.
2. The Alpine Beakshifter. In the winter, little white birds pluck what ever they can find buried beneath the snow. Come summer, dark-feathered birds flitter through the branches, crushing nuts and seeds in it's deep beak. These are the same bird. Beakshifters are a genus of sheathbeak whose beak drastically changes over the course of the year. During the winter, it's small and narrow, used for picking up insects and other small invertebrates. Upon the bounty of spring, their beaks grow deeper and are used to crack open nuts and seeds only to shed off come winter again. This allows beakshifters to have a consistent food supply all year without needing to hibernate or migrate. This species of beakshifter is native to the Allerlet Mountains.
3. The Sawbird. Convergent to a beaver in niche, sawbirds are ecosystem engineers. Mated pairs and young hold down a small territory along a creek. These birds target young trees, bushes, and even branches. They get to work on biting through thin trunks and then dragging the downed wood back to start building a dam. The creek overflows and becomes a small pond, maintaining wetland environments in the Pyreplume Valley. Sawbirds have serrated, ever growing beaks, flexible, shock-absorbent skulls, and over-sized muscles to aid in this task.
4. The Basilisk. Represented by Cinnabar in this image. The Basilisk are the most widespread of Drecel's sophonts. Most live in nomadic clans distinguished by range, diet, and culture although they do congregate in the few cities scattered around the continent and cohabitate with other sophonts. The beak shape of a Basilisk is determined by clan affiliation rather then hereditary. Basilisk's have small wings for their size. Most can fly for short bursts but skill can be improved with training and artificial wing extensions (clip-on feathers often harvested from a spat or other large bird). The most famous trait of any Basilisk is her venom: each has a potent paralyzing bite from the moment they hatch to when they last draw breath. Unless otherwise taught, a basilisk will uncontrollably inject venom into anything or anyone they bite. Children raised in a clan are taught from a very young age to respect and control their bites. Basilisks are immune to their own venom, except at high enough doses or if ill/immune-compromised. Generally, a delivery of 10mg of venom is enough to semi-paralyze a similarly sized animal for a few minutes. A larger dosage is used on larger subjects or to keep them paralyzed for longer. Most Basilisk are trained and expected to inject just enough venom so as not to harm their subject, instead killing with their claws.