| Class: | Realistic beasts |
| Hab: | Grasslands or forest with exposed rocky areas |
| Fre: | Uncommon |
| Num: | 3-18 + 2-12 young. |
| Lair: | All 60%, 1/3rd the rest of the time |
| Size: | = medium bear; 500 - 800 pounds |
| Move: | 60 mph dive/charge, 20 mph waddle-charge |
| Def: | Heavy pelt, tough skin |
| Att: | Bite, claws, crushing hug all = bear |
| Int: | Very bright beast |
| Spec: | Builds "above ground caves" or excavates |
| Posns: | Collects trinkets, stashes food |
Very similar to the Badger-Bird (which SEE), the bear-bird looks as though someone built a bird using only bear parts. The bear-bird is rather like an eagle in its proportions, but has a somewhat longer neck and legs. The forelimbs are vaguely bat like, the "hand-wing" having a thumb and two free fingers, but with modified fur growing in feather-like tufts, improving lift and providing better thermal control.
The bear-bird is somewhat like an extremely clever crow in habits; bear birds are opportunistic omnivores, eager for meat when available but subsisting mostly on sedge roots and grubs, fruit and succulent stems when other prey is to swift to catch. Found from tundra to tropics, wherever there is enough food to sustain the flocks; those of sparser habitats, such as artic or desert terrain, have smaller flocks. Tundra-dwellers often have tusks, similar to a boar's, for digging up roots as well as providing a fiercer bite.
Stories suggest that flocks of bear-birds consider local Folk, who may know where they nest, too dangerous to attack, but peruse strangers with relish - and horseradish. Bear-birds have been known to jealously guard prime sources of food, such as trees in fruit or streams during salmon runs.
Some behaviors suggest considerable intelligence; bear-birds practically farm colonies of conies (rabbits) and have even been known to plant and cultivate wild fruit trees, planting half-rotted fruit from a favored tree to grow a whole grove or "wild orchard." The bear-birds will not tolerate any molestation of the bee hives they protect in their territory. These remarkably complex behaviors are present even in common basic beast-bird bears, even those not related to any sapient Bird-Bear Folk.
Bear birds built their nest-caves using natural niches and nooks where available, but will build artificial caves like hives on ledges where no natural caves are available. The lairs of bear birds are built of stones, often reinforced with sticks and even limbs so heavy the entire flock must cooperate to move them. Their bear paws are surprisingly dexterous, adept at fitting the stones and limbs together. Where natural caves are available, the bear birds will enlarge them to suit their needs.
Because the bear-birds guard beehives so jealously, there will often be multiple hives built right in to the bear-birds' chambers. These bear-adapted bees will make an excess of honey, filling combs outside the hive proper with sweet nectar readily accessed by the bears, in return for which the bear-birds will leave the hive itself untouched.
A colony of bear birds consists of 2-12 mated pairs with 1-6 unmated individuals living about the perimeter. Each mated pair has a pair of young every two years. The non-paired bear-birds are mostly sub-adults, two to three years old, but also include older individuals. The colony helps unmated females build attractive nesting chambers, strong and cozy. Three to four year old males go hunting for other colonies with available females.
While all bear-birds horde food, those in cooler climates do so in great quantities; they enjoy snacking when they wake during their winter's sleep.
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