Ferry Quail

The ferry quail split from its ancestor. It has taken to an arboreal lifestyle making use of its splayed tail spurs and elongated, clawed toes to grasp the branches of trees. Unlike its ancestor which lives deep in the old growth dark forests, the ferry quail lives in the younger growth forests, open shrublands, and plains where sun-loving purple trees such as ferries can be found. It also feeds on ferry berries, as long as they are in season where it resides, and contributes greatly to their distribution. In fact, it is thanks to the ferry quail that ferries exist on the Koseman landmass, as it will fly over short stretches of ocean to nearby islands when there’s too much competition and carries ferry seeds with it in its gut. It will also consume other kinds of berries, but ferry berries are its favorite, as it nests in their branches. Outside of the fruiting season, it mostly eats worms and seeds.

The ferry quail is a better flier and is streamlined compared to its ancestor. It has rubbery skin surrounding its spiracles where its ceres once lay, and its external sauce plate appears as only a scute on its back. There are no feathers directly on the top of its back, but its broad contour feathers cover it up. It can cool down on a hot day by spreading the feathers to expose its back. It has lost its central tail spike and its tail fan is flatter. It has also, in a more figurative sense, streamlined its vision; its many eyestrils, each corresponding to an oral spine as a consequence of their origins as gums, are now gathered into compound eyestrils. This occurred as a result of the scent line tightening into a zigzag on the side of the head. This is imperfect, as 2-6 additional clusters of eyestrils with little functional use form on top of its head.

The ferry quail has a call which sounds similar to a door creaking, with which it communicates with other ferry quails, establishes territory, or attracts a mate. It is no longer capable of echolocating, as preferring more sunlit environments has completely eliminated the need for such an ability, but it is still capable of producing high-pitched clicks and chirps with its tongue. The skin around its eyestrils is colorful in the ultraviolet spectrum and its underbelly is conspicuous, traits which aid in species identification, social interaction, and sexual selection.

The ferry quail no longer nests on the ground. Instead, it constructs a nest in a ferry tree or some similar tree or shrub, hidden among the branches. Like its ancestor, it uses twigs, feathers, hair, trichomes, and plent cotton to construct the nest. It mates in the spring. It lays 3-5 eggs per clutch which take roughly 2 weeks to hatch, with both parents taking turns incubating the eggs. Unlike its ancestor, the ferry quail’s offspring are blind, naked, and helpless, vaguely resembling passerine nestlings. This is because the safety of the trees made well-developed young no longer advantageous, so it was selected against. The nestlings are mostly fed small binucleid worms by both parents, and they reach the fledgling stage after just 2 more weeks. They take another 2 weeks to build up enough strength to be independent. They begin breeding the following spring. As small creatures susceptible to predation, very few survive their first year and they have a life expectancy of only 2, but an especially lucky individual can live for as long as 20.