High-mountain chough

The black bird steadied itself on the harsh and turbulent wind, then took a series of sharp turns as if avoiding a fatal clash with an invisible enemy. One would think it should be impossible for a bird this small to outmanouveur such torrents. It certainly was impossible for us.

— Gáláwan high-mountain explorers

Short summary

A birb living in the high-mountains and relying on strong and gusty winds. Feeds on beetles and berries, and occassionally worms and caterpilars. The high-mountain chough is active throught the day.

Habitat

High-mountain choughs thrive in higher parts of the mountains and particularly in places where the wind is strong and unpredictable. While they were originally spotted in the higher regions near Gáláwá, the species was known in the Cymru region as well. It was also introduced several decades ago into the higher parts of Tænian Mountains, especially to the Coire àrd by the Gáláwan explorers foraging the mountain shrub pine branches affected by the black dew wither. The population their is not big, though, limited by the source of food, and some argue that it began to drop after the pine beetle population was decimated.

Food source

Beetles and other hard-shelled bugs seem to be the most attractive and the bird is strongly attracted to the glossy shine and the dark colours of the bugs. Reluctantly it can feed on grasshoppers and caterpilars as well, and in their lack berries are a treat.

Cultural importance

High-mountain choughs were known to be domesticated by the early Gáláwan ore explorers for locating vain of precious ores and minerals. The exact practice is not clear but was said to involve a change of fauna and flora in the close proximity to the ore.

Controversies

They were known to cause major problems in the region of Láita valley, where they hunted down several species to (or close to) extinction.