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Sapient Species - Sunbirds Largest Populations: World #33221 - Sanctuary The Sunbirds are one of the longest residents of Sanctuary. Brought here from a world that was slowly being swallowed by its own sun, Sanctuary was meant to be a stopgap for the four armed avians while a more suitable and permanent home was sought for them. Their original world was a place of never ending heat and light. They developed to live in the protective shadows of the massive fossilized trees of their world, further protected by the metallic sheen of their own feathers. They would hunt the creatures that made their homes in the hollows of these ancient trees, and drink from the waters that collected within their roots. No one expected them to adapt so well to a place like Sanctuary. When they were offered a chance to move to greener pastures, so to speak, the vast majority of the Sunbirds turned it down. They had made a home in the snows and the storms of this new land, and they intended to see that home flourish and grow. As the earliest and second most prominent species to set foot in Sanctuary, Sunbird architecture and culture is reflected everywhere within it. Their nest-like bower homes perch atop the bones of older stone and wood structures, lending a sort of upturned gourd shape to many of the houses in the older districts. Their feathers glitter as good luck charms from doorways and windows, and their raptors fly the skies, keeping away pests and bringing in much needed meat. Many of Sanctuary’s shops and businesses are also staffed heavily by Sunbirds. The Sparrow & Hare is owned by a Sunbird and her mate, a wily shapeshifter by the name of Jack, and watched over by Sparrow’s grandmother, the formidable Lady Grey. Appearance (Select to Learn More)
Sunbirds have a distinctly avian head shape, with a sharp, raptorial beak, large, forward facing eyes, and an expressive feathered head crest. They most closely resemble the Harpy's Eagle from Earth in this way, though their crests can sometimes grow much larger and are more mobile. The rest of their bodies are mostly humanoid. They are upright standing with two legs and four arms, one set of arms being larger and more powerful, with a slightly smaller, slimmer set that is situated beneath the first. Sunbirds are adept climbers, with powerful limbs and long talons on both their feet and their two sets of hands, though many opt to keep at least one set of nails trimmed short for social reasons. Like humans, Sunbirds are plantigrade. They have five toes on each foot, and three fingers and a thumb on each of their hands. Sunbirds do not have wings, though they are covered almost entirely with feathers, including a long feathered tail that is slightly prehensile. Sunbirds of all ages often enjoy weaving beads and other decorations into their crests and tails. Some younger Sunbirds have also taken to painting or dyeing their feathers, though because of the make up of their feathers, these artistic additions don't often last long. Older Sunbirds who remember needing their feathers for defense often disapprove of this trend, and don't consider it healthy. Sunbirds are typically born with soft down, and are a pale yellow to yellowish green until their adult feathers come in. They lack the metallic sheen that the adults are so famous for until their late adolescent years. Once they molt into their adult feathers they may turn a range of metallic silvers, golds, and even dark bronze. Sunbirds may also molt into a black or a white to bluish sheen with much less of a metallic shine to the feathers. They may also on occasion fail to lose their 'baby down' all together and keep their hatchling coat their entire lives. These mutations are rare though, and often the Sunbirds who are born with them are smaller and in many cases entirely unable to use their species' defensive abilities. Females are typically bigger than males on average, and the majority of the species tends to range around the same average height range as humans. Diet (Select to Learn More)
Sunbirds, like many birds of prey, are largely carnivorous. On their home world they found a main food source in several staple prey animals, including an animal most closely resembling a cross between a monkey and a rabbit they simply call 'Climbers' in the common translation. There were also long clawed, lizard-like beasts known as 'Scrapers'; several smaller avian species, including a popular one with two sets of wings and bright plumage known as a 'Howler'; and multitudes of large insect species that do not currently have translated names yet. Most of their food was collected from shared branches of the massive trees they called home, as the ground level, while not devoid of life, was incredibly inhospitable, and was considered mostly a place to leave the dead. Though meat is preferred, many Sunbirds also have a bit of a sweet tooth, particularly where soft fruits and berries are concerned. They can eat tougher fruits and vegetables, but too much may eventually bother their stomachs. All Sunbirds do occasionally include a few small rocks and pebbles in their diets to help break up their food, but Sunbirds with diets higher in fruits and vegetables must consume more. Sunbird Abilities (Select to Learn More)
Arboreally Adapted Sunbirds are arboreal in their natural environments, and in their home universe spent much of their lives in trees, as their environment's ground level was often too hot to survive on for very long. As such, they have adapted to life in the treetops and prefer to be up high whenever they can be. All four of their hands and their feet are capable of incredibly strong grips, and Sunbirds can move through the treetops at amazing speeds. Their prehensile tails aren't strong enough to hang by, but they help to balance and anchor Sunbirds in tandem with their other limbs. They are also capable of rotating their heads a full 300 degrees, though many Sunbirds choose not to do this in polite company as it tends to disturb other sapients. It should be noted that while they cannot fly, they are pursuit predators and very, very good at leaping. They tend to be crepuscular in their activities, being most active around dawn and dusk, while the brightest hours of the day are used for sunbathing and more restful activities. Bright Feathers Sunbirds are considered to be very beautiful by many because of the bright shine of their feathers, which often resemble precious metals like silver and gold. However, these feathers are an adaptation that help them survive in a world where the intense sunlight is near constant, and the nights brief but frosty, and full of predators. During the day, a Sunbird's feathers will actively absorb sunlight, giving them their vibrant sheen. The feathers convert some of the sunlight into energy for the Sunbird's body, and the rest is stored for defensive purposes. When in danger, a Sunbird can release all of this energy at once, resulting in a blinding flash that stuns their attackers and gives them a chance to either get away or end the threat for good. If enough energy is stored up, this flash can also come with heat and some lost eyebrows. This is how Sunbirds got their name. Sunbirds are also, to a degree, fireproof. High levels of ambient heat or solar radiation don't bother them, and their feathers also will absorb quite a lot of direct flame before they are overloaded and the Sunbird must discharge or risk being burned. Mimicry Though Sunbirds prefer to communicate in the whistling, beak clacking sounds of their natural language, they are excellent mimics, much like parrots, but with more range, which is how they manage to speak many sapient's languages, despite not having lips. They tend to have a good affinity for languages and learn them quite easily, and some can even mimic musical instruments, though this is considered a rarer talent. Solar Charging Sunbirds are capable of some pretty serious light shows, but besides defense, they also need the stored solar energy that allows these displays to keep themselves warm and to supplement their diets. Sanctuary doesn't see nearly as much sunlight as their home world did, and so many Sunbirds are often torn between bundling up to keep warm or needing desperately to sun themselves. It was for this reason that the bathhouse was actually first created, so that Sunbirds could sun themselves without freezing to death. Even so, many sunbirds must supplement with a lot of extra vitamins in their diets and are very health conscious as a result. They are also often reluctant to discharge their solar defenses because building them back up again takes a long time, particularly in the darker winter months. Questions & Answers (Select to Learn More)
Have a question about this species? Ask Jabber for an answer! Q: What kind of names do Sunbirds have? A: Most Sunbirds have a hatch name, a childhood name their caretakers gave them when they hatched from the egg, and their adult name, which is often given during their initiation trails or another large milestone, or otherwise chosen for themselves. After adulthood, it is considered very rude to call a Sunbird by their childhood name unless you are a direct member of their family. The names themselves vary widely. Sunbirds have a fascination with language and pick up on different languages very quickly. It's not unusual for them to pick names from words of languages outside of their own, particularly since the Sunbird's own high-whistling language can be hard for some other species to imitate, or in the case of some particular sounds, even hear. NPCs & Player Characters (Select to Learn More)
Miss Lady Grey - (NPC) Miss Lady Grey was the original owner of Sanctuary's most prominent tavern, once known as the Way Inn. When she passed it onto her grand-daughter, Miss Grey officially retired, though unofficially she still helps out plenty, and is still very much the unspoken matriarch of the entire street. She's a formidable specimen with silver-gray feathers that she's fond of dying in pale blues to match her eyes, though she disdains pretty baubles and beads with the complaint that it wouldn't do to have them fall into the batter while she’s cooking. She's a stern, no-nonsense individual with a quick and biting wit, but a kind heart beneath. Sparrow - (NPC) Sparrow is Miss Grey's grand-daughter, and grew up tending the tavern back when she was still known as Treebea. She eventually lost her signature yellow-green down coat for a sleek nut-brown color, earning her the name Sparrow, though she never did gain the metallic sheen of the rest of her people. Grey eventually passed down the care of the Tavern to Sparrow, who now runs it with her mate, a wily shapeshifter by the name of Jack. Sparrow is known for being much more soft spoken than her grandmother, but no less crafty. OOC Info & Rules of Play (Select to Learn More)
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Pairings In Sunbird culture, when a prospective mate wishes to woo another, they typically engage in complicated song crafting and courtship displays meant to show off the health, strength, and cleverness of the interested party. Dances and combat displays are often melded, and the more impressive ones tend to attract appreciative crowds from many species. Sunbirds are rarely shy about making their affections to another known in this regard, and the Sunbird may even show off more if they know that they have an additional audience. If their chosen partner enjoys the display, the Sunbird will typically present a gift in return. Traditionally it was something that the Sunbird had hunted, but more often these days little, hand crafted 'love tokens' are more common. This mutual wooing may go on for some time. Eventually the partner receiving the displays will present an elaborately decorated feather from their own crest to their prospective mate if they are truly interested in becoming pair bonded. No gender is more likely to initiate the courtship over the other, but there are typically two distinct roles in the courtship as the pair test each other's strengths and personality compatibility. Whoever initiates is most likely to be 'tested' by the other, and often is the one to perform the dances and other displays. Having multiple life mates is not a taboo practice among Sunbirds, and the young tend to be reared by the whole rather than only the parents. However, most Sunbirds tend to stick to a single pair because Sunbirds wooing already bonded mates must impress two or more individuals, which can often be a daunting process. Children Young Sunbirds tend to live with their parents, but are raised by their entire village. It isn't unusual to see gangs of gangly young Sunbirds present in a home that doesn't even have children, learning, playing, or simply helping out with chores and projects. Because of this, the tendency often is that if you mess with one Sunbird, particularly one of the children, you've ticked them all off. While Sunbird children are communally raised, this usually only extends to other Sunbirds, and while outsiders are permitted to interact with young Sunbirds, it is usually under the heavy watch of one, if not several adult Sunbirds. Sunbirds lay eggs, usually only one at a time, but sometimes in pairs. Sunbird infants are naked when they're born, but mature rapidly until they are able to be more independently mobile and capable of escaping danger. They will typically gain their first down coat within a day or so of being born, and are capable of moving about on their own and climbing safely by a week to two weeks. When a Sunbird reaches the age of majority, they go through a series of trials to pass into adulthood. Typically the trials test things like survival skills, strength, and agility, but it's not uncommon to see them tailored to less physical skills too if a Sunbird might be disabled in some way, or if they hold special talents in other fields. The tests are intended to be a display of skills a Sunbird may possess that contribute to the wellbeing of the community as a whole, and specific traditions tend to differ between family groups. Religion The group of Sunbirds that made it to Sanctuary is not as religious as some of their other peoples were. However, Sunbirds do observe some spiritual traditions, including the belief that the angry dead come back as the predators that hunt them. This can include individuals that were wronged somehow close to or during their deaths, or those who did not receive proper death rites. The Sunbirds while still on their home world would leave the bodies of their dead for the powerful sunlight to burn away, as the protective properties of their feathers would stop working after death. In this way they would be giving their bodies back to that which they believe created them. There is some belief that there are so many more predators near Sanctuary because the dead here cannot be given back to the sun like they were on their home planet. The dead in Sanctuary are instead burned with more mundane fire, but there are many who believe this isn't enough, particularly among the elders. While some Sunbirds did worship a kind of sun deity on the homeworld, the group that made it to Sanctuary sees the sun as more of a place of origin if they are particularly spiritual. To others this is simply one of many creation myths. |
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