Messanger Hawk

Basic Information

Anatomy

The messanger hawk is a fairly large bird, bred to be so in the case of needing to carry heavier parcels then mere letters. Roughly the size of a peafowl, the hawk has a much wider wingspan to fly for hours at a time with little need for breaks, with a short tail and neck. Though they possess a sharp, carnivorous beak, the messanger hawk relying on their powerful claws for much of their hunting.
Typically these hawks are seen fitted into a harness, either a training with a lead or an adult harness. An adult harness is made to be comfortable for long term use and not hinder flight or hunting behavior, as well as stand up to the elements.

Genetics and Reproduction

Messanger hawks are bred by licensed breeders only, more from complex steps then anything else. Each mating only produces a single egg, which must be well tended by human hand for up to two months before it is ready to hatch. The messanger hawk has lost its bonding ability with its offspring during the process of creating their intelligence and ability to know multiple locations for delivery; and therefore will not care for their own eggs. This is noted to be intentional by the initial breeders who developed the birds, so that it is garunteed that each bird is broken to tolerating human contact and to allow the parents to continue working, rather then sitting a nest and caring for young.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Messanger hawks are strict carnivores, which alternates between hunting for small game during a delivery and devouring a morsel given by human hand upon making a delivery. Like falcons, the typical hunting behavior of the messanger hawk is to fly as high as they can and dive out of the sky to snatch up anything small enough to fit in their talons. Should this game be to large to carry long distances, they will perch in a tree to feed before flying away with a lighter load. It is not uncommon for a messanger hawk to arrive at their destination with the skeleton of a young animal in its claws.

Biological Cycle

While typical messanger hawks are gray and black during most of the year, in the winter they are known to turn a pale white, better for camoflaging against the snow.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Like any predatory raptor, the messanger hawk has exceptional sense of sight and the ability to pinpoint a target with accuracy at great distances. However, these avians were bred and modified to be able to recognize human command and fly between multiple points reliably, even if one of those points was inconsistant in location. The messanger hawk, when sold, is well trained in knowing the location of the postal offices of any city within the northern kingdom, as well as an instinctive homing sense for their nest (a.k.a the new owner's home.) Should their nest being a mobile target, it may take longer for the hawk to return, but it will do so whenever capable, at which point it will expect payment in the form of a morsel of food.

Conservation Status

Common