Pines Pheasant

This article is a concept created during SummerCamp 2023! It is subject to changes, retcons, or may be sent to the secret vault after the event.

Wh- Why is this thing following me?
And why is it wiggling like that? Stop being weird, bird!

— Confused Savelan traveler

The pines pheasant is a large game bird native to the Kingdom of Arsavela's grasslands, admired for its colorful plumage and elegant form.

Stylish Plumage

These birds have pale blue bodies and heads, separated in color by the feathers of the neck with are a sheer gold dappled with brown-tipped feathers, which can be mesmerizing to watch as the bird struts about. Their wings are similarly patterned, but swap gold for a rich, dark magenta tone, before transitioning into long brown flight feathers. The undersides of their wings share the pale blue hue of the rest of their body, with their flight feathers bearing the same hue on their undersides as well.
Most impressive are the tail feathers of the pines pheasant, which blend the gold and magenta of the bird's neck and wings in a striped pattern, broken up by bars of dark brown. These feathers are commonly used as decorative pieces, whether in apparrel or simply in the decoration of homes and other spaces anywhere an elegant touch is sought. These birds are commonly hunted for sport, their feathers making excellent crafting materials and embellishments, and their meat providing enough food for a sizeable meal for even a large family.

Flirtatious Avians

These birds, though sometimes found among pines, are not named for the trees which stand at the edges of their native habitats, but for a peculiar behavioral pattern observed by hunters and travelers alike. The pines pheasant is known for its tendency to pine after humans, as opposed to after potential mates of their own species, trying all manner of flirtatious tactics to capture the hearts of their human targets.
Through generations of trial and error, these birds have learned to identify whether humans they encounter are hunters, though their system can't always be perfect. Should a pines pheasant identify a human as a non-hunter, or otherwise not a threat, they begin to perform courtship displays if they believe the human in question to be particularly appealing. The peculiar thing about these displays is that they differ in many ways from the displays they show to potential mates of their own species, but the similarities between both indicate that they are the same act, tailored to a different audience.

by Strixxline

Location

Kingdom of Arsavela