Feafalanx (Fef-ah-lanks)

The feafalanx is a very large, flightless bird that uses its long legs and neck to see over tall grass and reach fruits in trees in the savannahs they are usually found in. To the unfamiliar, the male and the female feafalanx may be misidentified as two different species due to their extreme sexual dimorphism.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The feafalanxes have large bodies supported by two long legs. Each foot has three toes with long claws and scutes along the overside of each toe and near the base of the foot. The tail is round and short. The neck is very long and supports a small head. The beak of the feafalanx is medium-long and rounded at the tip. The eyes are somewhat large and have a bright orange color. These birds completely lack forelimbs.

Males have a blueish-black feather coat and an intricate wattle-display around their face and neck. These wattles are bright red with blue tips. Males also have a throat-sack which can be inflated.
The females have a yellowish-white feather coat and lack wattles, but they have puffy, red skin around their eyes, similar to the males.
The chicks have a brown-gray coloring which either gets darker or lighter as they age, and red skin around the eyes similar to the adult form.

Genetics and Reproduction

Feafalanxes tend to be solitary, but will stay together for a few days to mate and lay eggs. After the eggs have been laid, the hen leaves the rooster to care for them. Hens tend to mate with multiple roosters during each mating season. They can have up to 5-7 eggs.

A feafalanx egg.

Growth Rate & Stages

A feafalanx chick can walk the same day of its birth, and will stay with the father until 1 year of age, after which they will leave to fend for themselves.

Ecology and Habitats

Feafalanx hens are most commonly found on savannahs and scrublands, but roosters tend to live in forests where they can better protect the chicks and be hidden. Hens sometimes travel to the White desert in search of nutritious plants as their white feathers give them great camouflage.

Dietary Needs and Habits

The feafalanx is omnivorous and its diet mostly consists of fruits, berries, seeds, nuts, grasses and insects. Although they will on occation eat small animals.

Behaviour

Feafalanxes are highly defensive and will ward off attackers with powerful kicks. The females are solitary and will only interact with others off its kind during mating season, males tend to be more social and will even sometimes cooperate during brooding.
To impress a hen, the rooster will inflate his throat-sack and bob his head side to side while making booming low-frequency noises. The head movements makes their wattles sway around hypnotically.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

The feafalanx mostly rely on their eyesight for navigation, but they also have relativley good hearing, as they can produce low-frequency sounds to communicate.

Name Origin & Meaning

The meaning of the name "feafalanx" is not entirely clear, but it is possible that it comes from the varan words "fea"=lightweight, "efalan"=warm season, and "ax"=foot. No one knows why they have this name.

Lifespan

16 - 20 years

Average Height

2 - 2.3 meters

Average Weight

60 - 140 kg.

Geographic Distribution

• Eastern savannah
• Lakishi forest
• Uvaro forest
• Western savannah
• White desert

Terminology

• A male feafalanx is called a rooster.
• A female feafalanx is called a hen.
• A juvenile feafalanx is called a chick.
• A group of feafalanxes is called a mob.
• The plural of feafalanx is feafalanxes.