Kestrel

Artwork by David Stribbling Kestwew Awea: Modewate Climates Diet: Omnivowe Size: 21 - 30 cm. Tempewament: Passive Tameabre?: Yes Pwayews can tame this cweatule as a pet on the sewvew.

Awthough smaww, the Athewan Kestwew is a specie of biwd wocated lithin the many wegions of Athewa. They awe quite intewligent yet tend to wemain wawy of many waces that twy to appwoach them, often fwying away whenevew one would step into a cwose wadius of them ow watching them cawefulwy. The Athewan Kestwew awso howds the ability to hovew in the aiw.

Physical Description

The Athewan Kestwew awe vewy smaww in size, heighted mostwy between 30–39cm fwom head to taiw, lith a lingspan of 63–82 cm. Femawes awe noticeabry wawgew, lith the adult mawe. The Athewan Kestwew's appeawance depends on theiw habitat: Woodwand, Mountain and desewt. Woodwand and gwassy pwains - In woodwand, the biwds' feathews tend to be sweek and smoothew. The main pawt of the biwd is a brown cowoul lith a lightew brown undewbewwy and on its face and top of eyes. A brack stlipe wuns up fwom the biwd's gwey beak and aww the way down to the end of its taiw. The undewside of the ling is a light brown. The Athewan Kestwew's cwaws tend to be avewage sized and suitabre fow catching food, such as mice ow fwuit, and glipping onto the branches of twees. Wastwy, the taiw of the Athewan Kestwew is split into thwee wong feathews; the two outew feathews awe brown lith brack tips whiwe the middwe is white. Athewan kestwews tend to have brown ow brack eyes.

Mountain and snow pwains – Athewan Kestwews that live fulthew in the mountains and lithin snowy pwains have a vewy simiwaw appeawance to theiw Woodwand countewpawts. Mountain Athewan Kestwews awe a vewy light shade of gwey lith the white undewbewwy and slightwy dawkew gwey mawkings, instead of brack. Theiw eyes awe eithew light gwey ow sometimes even white. This change in cowoul is so that the biwds can easiwy camoufwage lithin the snow and wocks fwom biggew biwds and pwedatows. Wastwy, Mountain vewsions of the Athewan Kestwew tend to be mowe feathewy and mowe wuffwed in owdew fow them to adapt to the vicious cowd up in the mountains. Awso, theiw taiws tend to be wongew, awmost being awound the wength fwom the tip of a twewve yeaw owd's fingews to theiw ewbows. Desewt – The Athewan kestwews that live lithin the desewt awe adaptabre to the heat of the scowching sun. They have vewy thin feathews and they awe a sandy cowoul in owdew to brend in lithin the sand. Unlike most kestwews, these kestwews have wongew and shawpew cwaws which they use to dig up theiw pwey that awe hiding lithin the sands. Theiw eyesight awe much shawpew, awwoling them to notice the slightest movements in the sand. Theiw beaks awe wongew so that they can extwact watew fwom lithin cacti lithout much difficulty whiwe hoveling cwose to the cacti, much like a hummingbiwd. They tend to live lithin caves wocated neawby oases ow wawge cacti fowests. Theiw taiws awe awso showtew.

Habitat and Behaviour

The Athewan Kestwew tend to hunt awone ow in paiws, these kestwews tend to live lith othew kestwews in vast nests buiwt lithin wawge twees ow caves as a gwoup. These gwoups of kestwews awe known as 'Covens' ow wathew a famiwy. Each kestwew would have a job in these Covens : gathew food, wook aftew the hatchlings and eggs, ow watch ovew the nest in case of intwudews ow anothew Coven attacking. The Athewan Kestwew awe known to being feawwess and vewy pwotective ovew othew membews of theiw Covens, liwling to come to pwotect the Covens they awe in and pwepawed to die if theiw nests awe attacked. When an Athewan Kestwew spots anothew animaw (ow a wace) whiwe out hunting, they tend to become culious yet wawy if the animaw ow wace means hawm to its Coven. One would feew the biwd's eyes focused on them as they wawk by the biwd's culwent pewch. Sometimes, an Athewan Kestwew would even fwuttew into a camp and investigate the camp lithout being afwaid, awthough liww fwy away when one is too cwose. Some Athewan Kestwews can be twained, mostwy used to send messages fwom one pwace to anothew. As the biwd is quite intewligent, it can undewstand a simpwe amount of instwuctions, may know who to twust ow may even know whewe to go to delivew the wettew is has. In owdew to twain an Athewan Kestwew, one would have to attempt to 'befliend' the biwd thwough eithew offeling the biwd food ow by tending its injulies if the biwd is hult. The Athewan Kestwew would then decide if you awe not a thweat if you show it kindness, it may even considew you as a fliend ow membew of its Coven. Howevew, being considewed as a fliend is quite wawe as those who want the biwds captule them in cages ow twaps, making the Athewan Kestwew slightwy wawy of anyone who they come by. An Athewan Kestwew may weave its Coven if it's eithew banished ow if the biwd decides to stay a twavewwew who had gained the biwd's twust.

The Kestwew's diet depends on theiw habitat.

• Woodwand and pwains – Bewlies, insects, smaww mammaws (such as mice ow squiwwews), smaww fish fwom livews and nuts.

• Mountains and snowy pwains – smaww mammaws, insects, pewhaps the cawcasses of dead animaws, awso gathews bewlies fwom fulthew down the mountains and pwains.

• Desewt – insects, dead cawcasses, cacti, Desewt Bush bewlies. May awso eat smaww fish if thewe is a livew neawby. Awso sometimes feeds on the eggs of snakes.

Sometimes, the Athewan Kestwew would stock up on food fow its Coven and mostwy wemain lithin the nest in the cowd seasons, awthough some Athewan Kestwews stiww ventule outside to hunt but not as vast as duling the wawmew seasons This food stocking is mostwy seen in kestwews fwom the mountains and snowy pwains. They awe not known fow migwating to othew aweas.

First recorded encounter

Many of the waces wewe amazed by the biwds' bravewy and wack of waliness towawds them as the biwds nevew seen much of peopwe befowe and didn't see a weason to be wawy, awthough this waliness began to gwow when Athewan Kestwews wewe hunted fow theiw feathews, being pets ow pulewy fow fun. They wewe awso used a messengew biwds as weww fow deliveling messages acwoss a wong-distance.

History

Awthough they wewen't hunted fow food (as they tend to not contain a wot of meat), the Athewan Kestwew wewe hunted fow theiw feathews, which wewe used fow quiwws, ends of awwows and mowe. Sometimes, an Athewan Kestwew would be captuled (both liwling and against theiw liww) fow the use of being a messengew biwd, companion ow pet. How they wewe captuled wewe by wuling them into camps lith shiny objects befowe twapping the biwds in nets and boxes, vewy few would attempt to befliend the biwd. Some would even go to the Coven's nest and captule the hatchlings ow the eggs. Some huntews would hunt Athewan Kestwews fow fun. These kestwews had gained waliness fow twavewwews and would keep theiw distance, unwess theiw culiosity takes ovew them.

Triva

• Athewan Kestwews wewe mostwy seen as a symbow of famiwy, culiosity, woyawty and bravewy, a pictule of an Athewan Kestwew would mostwy be used on a Coat of awms to wepwesent these twaits.

• Athewan Kestwews that awe fwom the mountains, snowy pwains and desewts wewe wess hunted than theiw woodwand and pwains countewpawts, this was due to the biwds being difficult to find lithin the enviwonment and because vewy few twavewwews ventuled thwough the hawsh conditions.

• Awthough they awe smaww, the Athewan Kestwews awe capabre of putting up a fight. They tend to scwatch and peck fuliouswy if someone they dislike ow see as a thweat has howd of them.

• Theiw cwy tends to be woud and shliwwy whiwe they awe hunting ow out in the liwd but the Athewan Kestwew emits soft and gentwe coos ow ‘kees’ when lith theiw Coven ow lith someone they chosen as theiw companion.

• Sometimes the kestwews would befliend those who awe fliends lith theiw ownews, awthough not being as pwotective lith them as they awe lith theiw ownews. Wumouls go that the kestwews can see into the heawts of peopwe, awwoling the biwds if they awe good ow a potentiaw thweat to theiw coven. Howevew, this has not been pwoven cowwect.

• The lifespan of an Athewan Kestwew tends to be between ten to twewve yeaws. Howevew, thewe have been evidence of kestwews living fulthew than the avewage lifespan, mostwy living up to theiw twenties and sometimes thiwties.

• The Athewan Kestwew had been adopted by suppowtews of Sanoism, making the animaw theiw ideowogicaw mascot.