Island Shimmertail
The island shimmertail is a species of tropical parrot native to the islands Rostral C. Best known for the golden shimmer of its trailing feathers, the island shimmertail is the national bird of the Rostran Archipelago Confederacy and appears frequently as a motif in works supporting national identity and the authority of the Archipelago Parliament.
Basic Information
Anatomy
An island shimmertail is a typical psittacine, posessing a length and wingspan of approximately 24". The feathers of the shimmertail are teal at the rostral extents of the body, but become progressively more lustrous and golden in color towards the caudal extents. The tail feathers are long and a bright metallic gold in color, lending the animal its name. Shimmertail beaks are large, dark, and short, having been shaped through evolution to crush hard seeds and beetle shells.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Island shimmertails subside primarily on seeds, nuts, and insects, though they are also known to enjoy soft fruits. The birds are wide-ranging in their search for food, with flocks migrating between islands - and even into and across commissures - to find new sources.
Additional Information
Domestication
Island shimmertails are believed by Rostran Esotericists to be the messengers of Ixeunvatio, their shimmering golden tails being a gift of solar radiance from that spirit to denote their station in the spiritual realms. For this reason, though they are smart for parrots and friendly towards humanoids, it is considered unlucky to confine an island shimmertail, making them uncommon as pets. Normally, a Rostran seeking an island shimmertail companion will instead seek to befriend them by providing perches, snacks, and small puzzle trinkets outdoors; over time, individuals and even small flocks come to 'adopt' Rostrans who prove amenable.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
In modern times, it is considered a gross misdemeanor under RAC conservation laws to pluck the golden tailfeathers from an island shimmertail. These feathers were once highly sought after as decorative elements in Rostran traditional art, but, as the species has come to be protected by law, such works may now only make use of naturally molted or cast-off feathers.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
The island shimmertail is fast for a parrot and is able to cross the commissures between cubes within the Rostral Tesseract. Not every Rostral environment provides enough access to their favorite foods or clean water, however; in practice, the gratest concentrations of island shimmertails are found in and aroud Rostral C. Rare individuals have been spotted snatching up mosquitos as far away as the Red Velvet Desert, where their appearance is a considered a portent of incoming rain.
Conservation Status
Despite their prevalence in the archipelago, the RAC extends certain legal protections to the island shimmertail as a symbol of national pride.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
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