Stirge

A stirge is a tiny magical beast that feeds on the blood of other creatures. A group of stirges is known as a "thirst". Stirges have been known to be used as familiars.

Appearance
A stirge resembles a monstrous cross between a large hummingbird and a mosquito.

Ecology
Stirges lurk in forests, caves, and swamps until a living creature passes near. They then fly down and attempt to subtly attach themselves to the creature and feed off its warm blood.

While one stirge may not seem to be a threat, these creatures often cluster in large swarms, which can quickly slay a creature from all the stirges feeding at once on the same body.

As of 1372 DR, stirges inhabited Velarswood in Harrowdale, the Duskwood in the Lake of Steam, the Umber Marshes in Aglarond, and Ardeep Forest.

Cormanthor
Stirges in Cormanthor live in colonies that have a roaming area of around one square mile, and they sleep by day. At night, they pick on weaker or smaller animals such as dogs, goats or pheasants and suck their blood. Female stirges outnumber the males by ten to one, and will fly to a distant area, usually the rimwood, to lay their eggs so that their young will not provide them with competition for food. The eggs are laid in a shallow hole in the ground and covered with dust or plants. The females then hibernate. Around ninety percent of the eggs are lost to predators such as badgers or wild pigs because they are unprotected and poorly disguised. When the remaining eggs hatch, the young will usually fly up to a hundred miles to establish their own territory.

The inside of broken or hatched stirge eggs contains a green foul-smelling jelly that will deter stirges from attacking for up to a whole day if it is rubbed on the skin.