Phoenix

Basic Information

Anatomy

A full-grown phoenix is about three feet tall, with a wingspan of about ten feet. Its legs are gold, with three front talons and one back talon on each.
A phoenix's beak is about six inches long, with the upper beak hooking over the lower beak like that of a vulture.

Biological Traits

Females live to be 900 years old, while males only live to 300.

Genetics and Reproduction

Female phoenixes can mate only once in their lifetime and bear three children or fewer at a time. They keep to their volcano nests for the entirety of the maternal period. Phoenixes lay dark red eggs the size of footballs, which take forty days to hatch. After this, they remain with the newborns for twenty more days to take care of them and teach them to fly before departing and letting the baby phoenixes go on their way.

Growth Rate & Stages

Newborn phoenixes are one foot tall, with a wingspan of three and a half feet. It takes them about two months to reach full size.
One-hundred years after birth, a phoenix will determine a place to be reborn. There, it will be consumed in its own flames, only to rise up from its own ashes the size of a newborn again. The location of a phoenix's first rebirth will be where it returns each century for every rebirth afterward.
After a phoenix's first rebirth, their wings will be edged in gold. This fades over the course of the century, until it's renewed with their next rebirth.
A phoenix is granted eight rebirths in its lifetime if it's a female and two if it's a male.

Ecology and Habitats

A phoenix can survive anywhere that's above 70º year-round, but prefers arid climates. Volcanoes and deserts are ideal. While phoenixes always build their nests inside volcanoes, they're a nomadic species and prefer not to stay in their nests longer than necessary, often having many "homes away from home."

Dietary Needs and Habits

Phoenixes are meat foragers, eating anything less than a week old, and are big and fiery enough to chase off any other foragers who may attempt to contest them.

Additional Information

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Phoenixes keep to hotter climates and are found primarily in the Teraki desert and surrounding areas. They're also found in Virilia in much smaller numbers, mainly surrounding the volcanoes on its eastern end.

Lifespan

300-900

Average Height

3 feet.

Average Length

They have a 10-foot wingspan.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Phoenixes have red-purple feathers. After their first rebirth, their wings are edged in sparkling gold, which fades over the course of the next century until their next renewal.