Modern real-world flightless birds are herbivorous ratites; ancient real-world carnivorous flightless birds comprised two other, distinct and not especially closely related groups, the South American Diatryma and the North American / Western European Phorusrhacoids.
Most ratites are herbivores, picturesque additions to any landscape where suitable food may be found; they need not limited to their current real-world habitats of desert and plains. While quite fleet, the larger of these real herbivorous defend their young and nesting territory quite fiercely. Otherwise, such herbivores will usually run from danger, and may be as fast or faster than a horse - and have a better turning and dodging ability. The dozen or more species of New Zealand moa stood as much as 13' or even more, while some varieties of shorter Madagascar elephant birds, on which the legend of the roc may be based, exceeded 1,000 pounds, with 13" long, 2 gallon eggs; the last real-world elephant bird probably died in 1649.
Here, we are more concerned with the carnivorous varieties, both real and imaginary, such as may pose a challenge to Our Heroes. While there are many diverse species of carnivorous flightless birds, for RPG encounter purposes, the majority may be considered as represented by a few generic types.
| Class: | Birds, Real and Basic Beasts, occasinally Faboulous Beasts or Folk |
| Hab: | Flightless birds can be found in almost any terrain, from tropical rain forest to dry desert waste to sub-arctic taiga and tundra; plumage types and coverage patterns, and fat deposit patterns are easily adapted to allow new species to take advantage of any ecological opening. |
| Fre: | Common to rare, by size (smaller generally being more common), food supply, and competition. The less competition from other, more effective predators in their own particular niche, the more frequent they will be. In the real world, flightless birds were generally out-competed, early on by dinosaurs and later on by mammals, but a range of deadly birds stalked many terrains in-between those two periods. There is no reason more efficient predator birds might not evolve, especially where there is an open niche to fill. |
| Num: | By terrain, which determines mobility, and density of prey; some species encountered only as mated pairs (possibly with yearlings), some as pack-hunters, as well organized as wolves. Smaller species especially likely form packs of 10-50 while larger birds are unlikely to be able to sustain packs of over 5-20, due to prey density. Herbivorous flightless birds often in mixed herds with other animals, such as zebra and antelope, in numbers from 10 to 10,000; these may be quite dangerous if cornered, defending nests or young. Occasionally, a herd of herbivorous flightless birds will be guarded by a pack of carnivorous birds that uses their flightless cousins as camouflage and as nest-guards. |
| Lair: | 20%; such birds are usually territorial, returning to a bedding area regularly even when not actively nesting. |
| Size: | Varies; most dangerous flightless birds 5', 10', or 15' tall, 75-125, 300-400, or 1000 lbs. repsectively |
| Move: | Larger horse-swift on open ground, deer-nimbler in woods; smaller wolf-fast, nimbler |
| Def: | Dense feathers, horny plates on the legs, neck, head = scale mail armor; "casque" or natural helmet of horn or extension of beak material, often present = metal helmet. Dexterous doge better than kangaroo |
| Att: | Weight a lesser factor for non-fliers; beaks, talons, & bones heavier, harder & sharper. Striking beaks = spear for smallest, = lance for largest, as if driven by a heavy horse. Biting beaks enhanced by serrated edges or even true teeth; damage = equivalent carnivorous dinosaur + lever-enhanced shearing action Talons: smallest = daggars, larger = sword strikes This might suggest that the larger are the more dangerous, but the smaller are more likely to attack in greater numbers, forming well-organized flocks. |
| Int: | Predators tend to need considerable intelligence; predator birds are at least as smart as an eagle or parrot, and have rather more brain capacity. Herbivorous birds are often no brighter than a chicken, but some are as clever as a wild turkey; fructiferous parrots are known for their intelligence. It would not be unreasonable to speculate that advanced social carnivorous birds might evolve an even higher level of intelligence, perhaps on par with that of wolves, some even achieving sapience and being Folk. |
| Spec: | Most Carnivorous Flightless Birds are "basic beasts," even if given enhanced appearance and attributes. |
| Posns: | Birds may collect shiny objects to attract mate - or to hang as lures to attract prey. Soft objects are desirable for nest linings. Eggs and young, especially of trainable species, are often valuable. As guard beasts, hunting beasts, or riding beasts, they would be more valuable than a trained mastiff, tiger, or horse. (Their herbivorous cousins would likely be equally swift, and much cheaper to feed, and so would also be effective as mounts; some, due to territoriality, would likewise be fairly effective as guards, despite their lack of a taste for meat.) |
An assortment of notable species
These smaller woodlands predator birds may be flightless, but they do retain stubby wings with claws; they use their strong legs to leap up into the trees, and hop with surprising dexterity from branch to branch. Their strong beak and neck act as a prehensile "arm" to aide in climbing; some varieties even have stubby "arms" developed form semi-atrophies wings; these may have developed strong climbing-claws. Their plumage does a terrific job of camouflaging them on the branches; the pack lays in wait, often over a trail or by a stream, ready to leap down on passing prey. They gain the advantages of surprise (enhanced by bloodcurdling tuba-like honks) and their full weight driving their talons home. There is also a sapient flightless jungle Bird Folk evolved from the simple animal ambush birds; these Folk may not be immediately distinguishable. Some such Folk keep their animal cousins about, as hunting beasts and decoys, watch-birds and pets.
Described in the original 1st Edition Monster Manual, which SEE, the Axe-Beak is described as prehistoric, aggressive daylight hunters, ostrich-like, with strong necks and beaks sharp and heavy. They are 7' or taller, and run in flocks of but 1-6 individuals. Their AD&D statistics are AC 6 (equal to studded leather or light chain armor), with two claw attacks of 1-3 each and a beak attack of 2-8 ht pts damage.
The Double-Bitted Axe-Beak has two heads on separate, dexterous, and very muscular necks. Their beaks are truly axe-like; they do not bite but rather swing to cut with the sharp leading edge, or "bit." Their favorite tactic is to swing from both sides, catching prey in the middle; if the prey seeks to dodge one strike, the other is all the more likely to hit, and if both hit, extra damage is caused, due to the prey being caught between the two impacts. These pack-hunters roam tropical grasslands and deserts. 300 lb.
The real-world cassowary of Australia and New Guinea has an earned reputation for killing people who disturb its nesting grounds; it attacks not with the bony crest atop its brightly coloured bald head but with slashes of its sharp talons. Cassowary can crash through the jungles at over 30 mph. It is the male who incubates the 3 to 6 eggs. While their diet is mostly fruits and berries, they do hunt insects and even small mammals and reptiles, so they have carnivorous tendencies that might be further developed…
From a body enrobed by glossy black feathers rises a sturdy neck, topped by a bald head, both decorated by brilliant wattles of red and blue. The cleaver-crest upon the head can split through an armadillo shell - or a helmet; it is twice as effective as the greatest of axes. Despite a weight of 1,000 lb, they are surprisingly agile in their jungle habitat.
The crests of male crescent-clawed cassowaries are brilliant, but in battle serve only to distract; it is their serrated claws that are the danger. When an opening presents itself, they may spring with a kangaroo-like powerful leap, landing upon their prey with nearly as much impact as a charging horse, impaling their prey with splayed claws. 500 lb.
Any of four species of real flightless birds (and their imaginary cousins) which lived 55 to 65 millions of years ago (Paleocene and Eocene) in North America and western Europe, they were heavily built, with proportionately large skulls and yet larger beaks. While some speculate that their massive, crushing beaks were for splitting open great nuts, most researchers believe they were carnivorous. Real Diatryma could be over 9' in height and over 250 lb in weight; fictitious Diatryma stalking Human-sized prey would likely be 12-16' tall and weight 400-800 lbs.
As described generically in the original AD&D Monster Manual, "The ostrich-sized have 3 hit dice, the emu-like birds have 2, and rea-sized types have but 1 hit die. All flightless birds are non aggressive and ruin from danger. If cornered they can peck (1-4 hit points) or kick (2-8 hit points)." D'Andy neglects to mention the cassowary!
The common kiwi is a real-world carnivorous flightless bird! Admittedly, the flesh it craves consists of grubs and worms, and, being timid, nocturnal, and only the size of a chicken, a real kiwi bird is rarely likely to be a threat to Our Heroes, but it is nonetheless technically a real-world carnivorous flightless bird.
Like its innocuous cousins, the common kiwis, killer kiwis are grub-eaters. Killer kiwis differ in that they prefer the sorts of grubs and maggots found in rotting flesh - and are eager to create more corpses in which to incubate a fresh crop of maggots. A flock of killer kiwi will swarm a victim, needle-like bills stabbing from all sides. Being light and fluffy, and very well padded by heavy, surprisingly sturdy plumage, most blows do them no harm, only propelling them a ways; they bounce right back to the attack; their "armor class" is equal to leather. They are common in cooler climes; their burrows are found in both open moors and dense woodlands. Excellent excavators, they are also encountered in subterranean habitats. The smaller species averages only 15 lb, but their great numbers make up for their small size.
Killer kiwis vigilantly guard the corpses in which they culture tasty worms and maggots.
These 75-150 lb. woodland predators tend to be a bit heavy in the body; they are not famed for longer distance running. They make up for this with extra-long, swift-striking necks. They are "ambush predators," setting up tempting lures of shiny objects to draw curious creatures near. Their lure piles are often referred to as "altars and offerings."
Some 25 species of Phorusrhacoids, referred to in popular literature as "terror birds," were dominant carnivores in South America from 62 to 2.5 millions of years ago. The prototypical example, the 3' Phororhacos, or "sword beak," was the model for the 8' "Dyal" in "Tarzan at the Earth's Core." The smallest Phorusrhacoids were the 1 meter Psilopterae, but most were in the 2-3 meter range, with Titanus Walleri being the tallest. Despite their apparent similarities, they are not closely related to the Diamtryma. Their living relative, the seriemas, run at over 60 kph, seizing their prey in their strong beaks to kill by dashing them against rocks.
The 300-500 lb. 15' tall stalking storks are much like their fish-eating cousins but larger - and having a taste for red meat. While they still prefer to nest in the safety of mash-moated trees, they may hunt in any nearby terrain. While they prefer to ambush prey by standing very still in the shadows of large trees or tall grass, flocks may surround meadows and meads, "beating the bush" to drive prey together. Stalking storks are quite intelligent, and will bait and tease their prey, the feint of one stork opening a "back-stab" opportunity for another. Their lance-like beaks can inflict terrible damage.
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