Hippogryph A hippogryph is an ancient , magical beast with the hindquarters of a mighty black stag and the head , wings , and forelegs of a large raven . Antlers rise from its black - feathered head . Within " World of Warcraft " , hippogryphs serve as the primary flying public transport mount between cities controlled by the night elves and the draenei . In order to travel by hippogryph , you must first speak to a Hippogryph Master at the destination point . Upon doing so , the location will be added to your list of known Flight Paths . Description . Contrary to common belief , hippogryphs are not simply domesticated beasts that serve as night elf mounts . They are no less intelligent than most humanoid races , in fact - though they are wary of non - elf races , as kobold s and human s have both attempted to enslave hippogryphs in the past . Most hippogryphs dwell in Ashenvale and other forested regions commonly inhabited by night elves , and have been the staunch partners of the Kaldorei from time immemorial . Indeed , some legends say that hippogryphs may have originally been created by the night elves , or that they were gifts from Cenarius . While kind and generous to their night elf companions , hippogryphs are ferocious and fearsome beasts when fighting any creature they deem hostile . Night elf Sentinels watch over nests of hippogryph eggs . Likewise , hippogryphs care for the children of the night elves . Though most prefer to stay and protect communities , young hippogryphs taken with the urge to explore and see the forest beyond their nests often serve as willing mounts for night elf windwarrior s . Hippogryphs speak Darnassian , but are capable of learning Common and other languages . Hippogryphs have a keen awareness of aerial tactics . Without riders , they attack in quick dives , striking with their beaks followed by swipes with their talons . Female hippogryphs avoid direct combat . If trapped on the ground , hippogryphs charge , trying to get space to regain the air . Carrying night elf archers , hippogryphs make careful circling attacks , darting within range long enough for a shot before wheeling away . In World of Warcraft . In the game , most hippogryphs are found in Kalimdor . While a few of them can be found in Ashenvale , the majority of hippogryphs inhabit the south - western Feralas and the northern Azshara . When Wrath of the Lich King was released , it was also revealed that several hippogryphs are found in the northern Howling Fjord s . The colors of a hippogryph ' s feathers may vary , and different hippogryphs inhabit different areas . Feralas - hippogryphs are the most colorful , with either dark blue or purple - pink feathers . Most hippogryphs in Azshara and Howling Fjord are white with brown wings , but Azshara also holds a number of green ones with orange wings . The green variant is also common in Ashenvale ( though not found on this location in the game ) , and thus the type chosen by night elves to be their mounts . The white - brown variant is mostly used as a mount within the Argent Crusade . A few hippogryphs are also nearly entirely white , and seems to be the preferred variant used by the Silver Covenant . While adult hippogryphs are shown to have a common size , there is one notable hippogryph that is easily four to five times bigger . At Orebor Harborage in Zangarmarsh , a flight path hippogryph rests in an equally large nest box , taking up as much room as two regular ones would . The reason why this one is so huge is currently unclear . Hippogryphs as flying mounts . The Cenarion War Hippogryph is available as a reward from the Cenarion Expedition at exalted as of Patch 2 . 3 . 0 . Wrath of the Lich King later brought two additional hippogryphs as rewards from the Argent Tournament , the Argent Hippogryph and the Silver Covenant Hippogryph . Myth . The Hippogryph is traditionally the offspring of a mare ( female horse ) and a gryphon ( which in turn is part eagle ) . See on , The Gryphon in Legend . This is likely not the origin story in the Warcraft universe , as Warcraft gryphons are historically noted for viewing horses as a favored prey animal ; even trained mounts must be watched closely when near a stable for any length of time . " Note : Within Warcraft , the spelling is " hippogryph " , but outside the " World of Warcraft " , the spelling " hippogriff " is also valid , as " gryphon " is also spelled " griffin " or " griffon . " "