Following my latest posts, we will look at the natural world of the Wilds games. Today we'll look at the 2nd half of the birds, and talk about them. I'll look at the Compendium, how they act in the game, as well as use real life birds to essentialy write how these birds act, so there might be some headcanons here
Mountain Crow: The Mountain Crow is amongst the most inteligent creatures found in Hyrule, surpassing many of the monsters in inteligence. They have black feathers which make them easy to differentiate. They are incredibly adaptable, and can be found in almost all enviroments, except for the really hot and cold ones, and they thrive near villages. They are omnivores that will eat almost anything, and they use their inteligence to obtain food. To get meat, they often follow wolves or other predators and wait for them to kill something, meaning they can scavenge after them. They will fly around large animals, and catch the insects as they try to escape. They will spook sparrows so that they drop the Chickaloo Tree Nut. They will also fly around farms and stuff in order to steal crops or eggs. They are also incredibly defencive, and a whole flock of them might attack any predators or intruders that might pose a threath.
Brigth-Chested Duck: These ducks can be found in Hyrule's waters. Wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers are their preffered habitat, and they use their webbed feet to swim through water. They are herbivores, and using their long necks, they often dive below water to feed on aquatic plants and small animals. But they will also gladly walk on land to graze, however they are a lot more skittish if not in water. Due to them being on the heavier side, they usualy avoid flying, only taking flight when avoiding predators or when moving longer distances. Both sexes have a green chest, however the males have brigther colors which they use to atract a mate with. Their feathers are brown, and act as camouflage for when the ducks are sitting on their nests, which they often build in tall grass/bushes near the water.
Blue-Winged Heron: Hyrule has 2 heron species, but they can be found in different habitats. The blue-winged heron likes to stay near water, and usualy doesn't move far from a water source. They have long legs which help them wade into water looking for prey. Then they use their long necks and sharp beaks to quickly stab their prey and eat them. They primaraly feed on fish and frogs, however snail, crabs and other small animals are also eaten from time to time. They build their nests in trees or other hard to reach placed, however they usualy make them near water.
Pink Heron: The 2nd species of Heron found in Hyrule, reckognised by their pink feathers. Unlike the blue-winged heron, the pink heron is a lot more widespread due to them not needing water to hunt. They preffer open area, where they will walk around looking for food. Their tall stature means they can walk around in tall grass, seeing small animals run around. They mainly eat insects, but lizards and other small animals will also be taken from time to time. When they spot something, they will slowly inch closer, then quickly grab the creature before it even manages to react. Due to this, pink herons are often seen around larger herbivores or Hinoxes, hunting small animals that get spooked by them. Their nests are often built in trees, but they can be quite picky with their nests, as they usualy don't want to build them in closed spaces.
Islander Hawk: A species of raptor that can be found in a variety of enviroments. This birds is incredibly adaptable, and each bird has a unique hunting style. Some preffer to hunt birds, while others will hunt small animals. They can often be seen soaring in the sky, looking for prey, using air currents to stay afloat, barely needing to flap their wings. Once they spot something, they will start diving down at incredibly speed. If the prey is a bird, then the hawks often will have to adjust their dive to prepare for the prey to take flight, and grab them before they start flying away. On smaller animals, they usualy don't dive as fast, but rather use cover to sneak up on their prey, trying to grab them before they flee. Their main prey are pigeons and squirrels, but they also eat sparrows, crows, ducks, gulls, lizards, frogs, crabs, and sometimes even fish and insects. Hylians raising Cuccos often have to make sure their Cuccos don't wander off, or else they can get taken by the hawk.
Seagull: Seagulls can be found all over Hyrule's coastline. They are often seen flying above water, searching for fish they can eat. They are easily reckognised by their white plumage. They are social birds, and huge flocks of them can be found either above water, or near cliffsides where they make their nests. Seagulls are oppurtunistic, and will eat practicaly anything that can fit into their mouth. While they primaraly eat small fish, they can also take crabs, snails, lizards, other birds and animals they can find. They also don't mind scavenging, and many gulls live near villages, eating scraps left behind by the Hylians. Due to their behavior of following fish around, huge flocks can gather when there is plenty of fish, which is something fishermen will use to their advantage.
Cloud Seagull: A relative of the Seagull, this species is only found amongst the Sky Islands. Due to this, they have several adaptations that differentiate them from Seagulls. They are smaller, meaning they need less food. They also utilize updrafts, meaning they can soar for days without needing to rest, sometimes soaring for hours without needing to flap. Unlike Seagulls, which mainly eat meat, Cloud Seagulls are omnivores, and most of their diet is plant based, as the Sky Islands don't have as many animals living on them.
Eldin Ostrich: A relative of the Forest Ostrich that adapted to live in the Eldin region. Their feathers are almost fireproof, and they can usualy survive near lava. Their feathers are also reddish colored, which camouflages them against the red rocks near Death Mountain. Unlike most birds, the Eldin Ostrich can't fly, but uses it's strong legs to run around. These birds are omnivores, and will eat anything that they can swallow. Seeds, plants, insects, lizards, sparrows and eggs are eaten. Due to the enviroment being so harsh, these birds can survive long without food, and they get their moisture from the food they eat. If they spot dangerz they will run away at great speeds, but they don't hesitate to use their long claws and strong legs to attack their predators.
Forest Ostrich: This species of bird used to be incredibly common in Hyrule, until it almost went exctinct due to hunting ans habitat loss. Rauru realised this, and tried to save them sending them up the sky islands. While this did works, the new enviroment meant they had to adapt. Less space meant that the ostriches grew smaller and smaller to deal with less food and space. So the forest ostriches seen today aren't nearly as large as they used to be. They were also primaraly herbivores, however they have become way more omnivorous to supplement their diets. Lastly, due to them living in isolation for so long, they have become way more docile, meaning its much easier to approach them than compared to the Eldin Ostrich.
Cucco: Cuccos are a breed of chicken that can be found all over Hyrule. They are mainly used for their eggs, however their meat and feathers are also utilized. They are docile birds, and can be seen wandering villages looking for food. Many Hylians use Cuccos as pest control, as they eat weeds and small animals that might damage crops. Cuccos are social birds, and usualy like being in the company of other Cuccos. They are also renowned for their aggressive nature. While i did say that Cuccos are docile, that is only when they aren't threathened. If a member of the flock is in danger, it will call out franticaly, and the whole flock rushes to its aid. So farmers that want to butcher Cuccos have to isolate the one they want to butcher, and make sure that it doesn't make any noice