Faerwin (Fair-win)
Forming flocks, one thousand strong...
Across much of Cenath, a tiny bird has spread its influence. This pigmy animal is known commonly as the Faerwin. A creature originally native to just the Riftlands but in recent history has seemingly sprung up all over the continent of Cenath. This four-legged bird is unique in both its body and nature. With ears like a cat and wings like a sparrow, the Faerwin has confused scholars for some time. Though within its habitat of origin, it may seem less peculiar.
Anatomy
Like most creatures of the Riftlands, this little bird has bioluminescent sacks on its belly fileld with Glow Gel that flash at the animal's will. It has been suggested that these sacks can do what they do because of the diet of the animal. Being a herbivore of the Riftlands, naturally, the Faerwin feeds off of Rift Grass - a glowing species of grass found only in the exotic ecosystems surrounding the Rifts. On their backs, are wings the size of bats and the shape of sparrows that grow around 25cm in length upon becoming fully grown. A tail also sprouts from its rear covered in tiny feathers.Subspecies
The colours of their feathers vary greatly depending on what subspecies they may be. For example, the Common Cenathan Faerwin is almost always a chestnut brown colour while those in the Riftlands aren't so dull. Their colours are often dependent on which sub-biome they reside in with the Twilight Faerwin harbouring a purple colour and the Agarn variant, bright Pink.Behaviour
While the behaviours found within the Faerwin are not so peculiar, some are fascinating to witness. Being such small and fragile animals, they are most commonly sighted in flocks varying from fifty to one hundred up to a staggering one thousand individuals. Furthermore, if the flock may come under the threat of attack by, for example, a Vhayl, they flash in unison in an attempt to ward the predator away. These displays are mesmerising to view as a wave of light flashes throughout the flock as though it were one. These often scare predators off. However, more intelligent animals, such as the Mantaere, may not so easily be fooled. On the other hand, the Common Cenathan Faerwin is unable to use this tactic due to losing their sacks because of a change in diet. To compensate for this, they typically form much larger flocks.Lifespan
6 yearsSubspecies
Conservation Statues
Currently not under any threats. Their numbers are high and hunting of this particular species is low.Average Wingspan
Adults reach a wingspan of 25cm.Body Colourings and Markings
With thick plumage covering the creatures entire body, the Faerwin is able to remain warm despite even the coldest of climates. It is because of this that it has become one of the few animals native to the Riftlands that has migrated elsewhere. These feathers come in a variety of colours depending on their environment with browns found in much of Cenath and more exotic colourings in the Riftlands.Geographic Distribution
CenathRelated Materials
Faerwin FeathersGlow Gel
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Another nice and compact article, like the Mantaere I read about yesterday! My English isn't so good, so could you clarify what you mean with that the Faerwin has sacks on its belly that flash at the animal's will? Do they produce a large flash of light to temporarily blind their predator?
Great question! I understand that I very quickly went over that part so I will be exploring these 'sacks' and the glow gel that illuminates them in one of the next articles all about the Glow Gel so you can better understand them, but I'll give a little run down here also. The gel inside the sacks works similarly to how the substance in the light of a firefly works - luciferin. When luciferin reacts with oxygen it produces light and while I won't go into great depth about the chemistry surrounding the glow gel, it will work in a similar way to how luciferin does in fireflies meaning all animals with these sacks have complete control over them. So because of the colossal flocks that the Faerwin form, when flashing their sacks in unison this would create a mesmerising and confusing effect, especially in the already darkened skies of the Riftlands. To avoid any future confusion, I'll just add those last bits to the article for clarity. I hope that clears things up for you. If you have any more questions I'd be happy to answer them!
Thank you for the explanation! That is so cool! I'd be confused too when lots of the Faerwin were to suddenly alight the skies. In a way, it'd look beautiful from a far away distance. Sort of like an aurora! I love it!