Shard Hawklings

Generally the Shard Hawkling grows to between 15 and 18 centremetres in height, with a wing span of roughly 28 centremetres (Longer in the largest of the species).
Their wings, they have two, are sturdy, colourful and powerful.

They're birds...

They are a fully domesticate species, bred in captivity. Whilst they are capable of survival in the wilds for short periods, delivering a message for example, there are no records of them being released into the wild and surviving for an extended period.

The Shard Hawkling is ostensibly used a message carrying beast of burden. They are fast and agile fliers and can cross Ashnoor and return in a week.

There are a small number of specialised trainers that can not only train the birds to deliver a written message and return a response. They can be trained to learn a simple verbal message in a matter of hours and deliver it verbally.
They're a valuable bird, those highly trained are rare in the extreme. The Ruling houses of both factions (Their imperial majesties) and their councils (or council parallels) would no doubt utilise them. Perhaps very high ranking military may have acess to the spoken message.
Among lower ranks they birds were obviously known of because of the written messages they have often seen being delivered.
The Shard Hawks often become so familiar with those whom they frequently deliver to that they can identify them by site in a crowd, even, on ocassion when disguised.
Further away from cities and military centres some are kept as pets. They bond well, particularly with children.

Specialist trainers tend to gravitate to larger cities. They are few and therefore get paid well. Whilst not all Shard Hawklings are fully trained up (as only a specialist can do), They are all capable of delivering the written notes that can be tied to a leg.
Therefore, their most significant areas of distribution would be centred in Doomsayer's Keep, where they are predominantly bred and each of the faction capitals.
The small and scatterd populations of them wider afield would be message carriers - some, on occassion are kept as pets.

An intelligent species, they are easily trained as message carriers. They have a rudimentary speech ability and, with extensive training from th ebest handlers can deliver short, simple messages.
They are not a wild animal, indeed they have always been a domesticated species - there are no known 'wild' flocks.
Despite this, they have a remarkable perception for danger when they are in the wild (usually delivering messages). This combined with their speed, agility and, in desperate moments abiity to hide makes them very reliable messengers with a high success rate. (It wasn't always so of course)