Porg Porgs were a species of sea - dwelling bird . They were native to the planet Ahch - To , where Jedi Master Luke Skywalker made his exile in the years prior to the Battle of Crait . Biology and appearance . Porgs were a species of non - sentient bird s . They were stocky in nature , with two short wings , flat , beak - less faces , and two webbed feet . Porgs were sexually dimorphic ; males were slightly larger than females , and males also had orange plumage around the eyes . Porgs of both sexes were covered in dense feathers , with white coloration on the body and face , and gray to brown on the wings and back . They were much lighter than they looked , thanks to a thick outer layer of waterproof feathers with a fluffy underlayer for warmth . They could fly short distances but not far enough to leave their native island . They could also run quite swiftly on the ground and were good at maneuvering into small spaces . The birds had stereoscopic vision , colored with brown irises and black pupils . Porgs favored colder environments . Porgs apparently also possessed an understanding of certain liguistic terms . When they overheard Rey refer to Chewbacca as " Chewie " they mistook it to be the word " chewy , " leading them to wonder whether Chewbacca would serve as her food . Behavior . These hyper - curious , cliff - dwelling creatures were found throughout the islands of the planet Ahch - To . They were capable of performing controlled dives into the sea , where they fetched fish to feed on or pass on to their otherwise helpless offspring , which were called " porglets " . They also hunted crustacean s . Porgs exhibited a roosting behavior , and they built nests along the island cliffs . They built nests from hair , fiber or grass and decorate them with shiny objects they had acquired . Porgs loved water , both to drink and to play in . They also loved tasting new things . Porgs had strong natural camouflaging abilities , as well as many interesting calls , ranging from burbles to squeaks to song . They crooned a special song when they were pleased . However , they could also be completely silent when necessary . Despite their curious nature , they could be quite shy if they felt threatened . Porgs , both wild and domesticated alike , were unusually smitten by human objects , and found shiny objects very fascinating . If their curiosity ran unchecked , they could wreak havoc . Porgs enjoyed being petted and scratched , especially behind their ear s . A group of porgs was called a " murder . " History . At the time of the First Order – Resistance war , when Jedi Master Luke Skywalker threw his lightsaber off a cliff , two porgs investigated the weapon . The birds nearly activated the weapon , before they were scared off by Rey . Shortly afterwards , another porg watched in curiosity from its nest as the Jedi Master spearfished from an island cliff . While staying on Ahch - To , the Wookiee Chewbacca roasted two porgs for supper . A few of the birds stared at him before he could take a bite , but Chewbacca scared them off . Later , at least four porgs found their way aboard the " Millennium Falcon " and made a nest . One of them accompanied Chewbacca during the Battle of Crait . Despite having an initial antagonism with the porgs , Chewbacca grew to like them and became their friend . Boarding the " Millennium Falcon " , General Leia Organa observed a number of the creatures roosting aboard the vessel , prompting her to ask Chewbacca when the ship had become a birdcage . Behind the scenes . Porgs were designed for the 2017 film . They were conceived by writer director Rian Johnson , who created them to digitally cover up the vast numbers of real - life present on , the filming site for Ahch - To . Rian " was looking at how can he work with [ the puffins ] . You can ' t remove them . You physically can ' t get rid of them . And digitally removing them is an issue and a lot of work , so let ' s just roll with it , play with it . And so I think he thought , ' Well , that ' s great , let ' s have our own indigenous species . ' " Porgs were first revealed in behind the scenes tape from " The Last Jedi " at the D23 Expo in July 2017 . They were officially named in a StarWars . com interview with Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive Pablo Hidalgo . During the concept stage of " The Last Jedi " , creature designer Jake Lunt Davies explored a variety of influences , drawing ideas from birds , bats , flying squirrels , and aquatic creatures such as seals , otters , and beavers . The design approved by Johnson was based on a seal combined with a pug , akin to aquatic , flightless penguins . Porgs were created using a variety of effects , including puppets and CGI . About fifteen porgs were built , each for a specific moment in the film , a group of painted models , animatronic pieces , and 1 " hero " model . The creatures ' squawks were made using a manipulation of a combination of recordings of doves , chickens and turkeys . The recordings were pitched to create the birds ' unique sounds . Additionally , the Skywalker Sound team used a turkey call brought in by an intern . When ILM created the CG porgs , they took care to match the movements made by on - set puppeteers . Concept art for the film revealed that it was initially intended that , in the scene where porgs investigate Skywalker ' s lightsaber , one of them would have activated the weapon just as another was looking down the shaft , killing it .