Talking bird

Talking birds were fascinating creatures found in Zakhara, the Land of Fate.

These long-lived birds were highly intelligent, spending their years collecting information about their surroundings. They were even known to impart advice and wisdom to honorable people. Talking birds were fluent in a large number of languages.

Description
Talking birds looked like the offspring of a parrot and toucan. They stood 2 ft. (0.6 m) tall with a wingspan of 4 ft. (1.2 m).

Combat
These peaceful creatures avoided combat by flying away. If unable to flee, they would turn their sharp beaks on their attackers. Killing a talking bird was a sure way to incur Fate’s wrath.

Habitat/Society
Zakharans believed that the very first talking bird was a gift from Fate, placed in the land to help those in need. Though extremely rare, talking birds could be found in any type of terrain. They did prefer forested areas above others.

Talking birds answered questions for those lucky enough to stumble upon them. The number of questions they would answer varied from person to person, but talking birds never revealed what Fate had in store for someone.

Talking birds performed an elaborate courtship dance when mating, after which the female would lay a single egg one year later. The egg took five years to hatch. Young talking birds learned languages from their mother. They learned nearly everything else by experiencing the world, avoiding other life forms until they were about 50 years old.

A symbiotic relationship was common between talking birds and singing trees. The singing of a talking bird attracted animals that the singing tree fed upon. The singing tree tried to avoid killing other bird species when able. In exchange, the talking bird fed off of the leaves of the tree and any pests infecting the tree.

Ecology
Talking birds attempted to make the other creatures of their habitat live in relative harmony. They sometimes collected valuable or magical items which they were known to gift to those blessed by Fate.