Kehaida

The Kehaida split from its ancestor and moved inland. Instead of living on herbivores, which are unstable and prone to predation, this tiny omnivorous snapper builds its nests on rocks and in flora. Its nests are made of down feathers and leaves, the latter chosen carefully to match its environment so that it is not easily discovered by predators. It is a generalist, able to eat a great variety of small flora and fauna of many different kinds. To support a varied diet, its jaws are strong and its teeth have large serrations that can tear through flora and fauna alike. The Kehaida’s wings are rounder than those of its ancestor and it has lost the claw at the end of each wing. This reduces drag, making it a better flyer. It is a social creature, travelling in loose flocks to forage for food. These flocks serve as a form of defense, as all it takes is one member to notice danger and all will take to the sky and flee. To assist in its survival, though it has no ears it does have the ability to hear through the bones of its jaws, much like a terran salamander.

Apart from choice in nesting location, the Kehaida’s breeding habits are fairly similar to its ancestor’s. Once one finds a mate, they will build a nest of feathers and flora using their sticky saliva. They take turns incubating the eggs and chicks while the other forages for food. Their chicks are born helpless but mature quickly, leaving once they can fly and their plumage has developed enough that they can survive outside.