Robynsnapper

Thrives at the fringes of signpost crystamboo "forests". When not foraging, it spends its time on a perch on a signpost crystamboo crystal or on the top of a rifamboo. This protects it from being taken by surprise by a swarm of brutishelm uksips. (in Javen Tropical Woodland) It prefers forested areas that have been opened up by by groups of crown-of-thorns plyents. In South Darwin Rocky, large fauna aren't so good at opening up signpost crystamboo forests, so the population there is sparser. On the ground, it hops like a robin. Its wings are shorter and broader than its ancestor, making it more maneuverable among patches of signpost crystamboo. It is low-flying, rarely rising more than three meters at a time. It especially favors verdiundis and treedundis. However, treedundis are more difficult to hunt, as they can hide among the sharp needles of the robust arid ferine. It makes a nest of its own feathers, glued together with marbleflora, on crystals of a rifamboo or a signpost crystamboo. The elevated nests keep it out of reach of oviaudiators, which eat the eggs of ground-nesting 'snapper' species. If the oviaudiator tries to climb up the flora or knock it over, the parents make a loud, strangled-sounding screaming noise to discourage it. As it is deaf, it cannot hear its own voice. It also lacks a vocal apparatus and the ability to vary its calls, so its strangled-sounding screaming noise is the only sound it can make. It instinctively produces the noise whenever it is sufficiently stressed. Since it can't hear the sound of its screaming, to the robinsnapper its screaming is like a sustained, silent, forceful sigh. As oviaudiators hunt at night, this sudden screaming is especially frightening. Robin snappers prefer making nests next to nightsnapper nests. If the nightsnappers spot the approaching oviaudiator, they attack the oviaudiator, as the oviaudiator is a threat to their eggs too. Where its habitats overlap, it will form mixed-species flocks with its ancestor, the vermisnapper. In its ancestor, males had red chests, while the females were dull in color. In the robynsnapper, the males have light pink chests with black streaks. Female robynsnappers have light green chests with black streaks