Vulturine carakiller (SciiFii)

The vulturine carakiller (Neovulturfalco struthio) is a species of terror bird-like polyborine falconid that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, and scrublands across North and South America to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relative of the vulturine carakiller are caracaras of the genus Phalcoboenus. The vulturine carakiller is a very large bird, reaching heights of about 9.8 feet (3 meters) tall and weighing around 200 pounds. The vulturine carakiller can run 39.75 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour). Unlike carakillers or caracaras, the wings of the vulturine carakiller no longer have large flight feathers, but they are still muscular and aerodynamic. The bird's flightless wings act as stabilizers, balancing the vulturine carakiller when it runs at full tilt, and helping it to turn corners quickly. In addition, each wing has a long curved claw at the tip, unlike the wings of the carakillers, which is used for slashing the carcasses to dig deeper into meat it feeds on. The vulturine carakiller's body is covered in feathers for insulation, shaggy on the back and legs, and fine on the chest. Its neck and wings are bare, presenting smooth surface when the bird is eating, preventing its feathers from becoming messy and sticky with the flesh and blood. Vulturine carakillers live and travel in loose groups, stalking across the grassland in open formation, looking for the carrion of other animals, including gomphothere and ground sloth carcasses. At about 3 meters tall, the vulturine carakiller can easily see its food sources over long distances. When the carcass is spotted, the vulturine carakillers signal to one another, raising and lowering colorful, peafowl-like plumes on the backs of their heads. At times, vulturine carakillers employ a hunting strategy, using the bushfires to their advantage. As a fire races across the savannah, the small grassland animals run for their lives. Vulturine carakillers can do this easily, but many animals are not so swift. The birds run ahead of the flames, snapping up small mammals, snakes and lizards as they are flushed from their hiding places. Other birds walk behind the line of fire, picking at the charred corpses left there. In this respect, carakillers are very similar to the marabou stork of Africa. Vulturine carakillers lay their eggs on the ground communally during the wet season. Parents take turns looking after the eggs while the other hunts. They will sometimes find that her nest is being raided by egg-eating animals like a rattleback. Many egg thieves are killed right on the spot by a vulturine carakiller mother, but the bird of prey's powerful beak is useless against a grassland rattleback's armor and no amount of scratching and clawing will pry the rattleback loose from its "wedged into the ground" defense position. Several other egg thieves like omnivorous peccary species rely on fast speed to quickly escape from the angry vulturine carakiller mothers. The conservation status of the vulturine carakiller is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the vulturine carakiller's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities, being able to feed on a wide range of meaty food sources from trash bins and roadkills.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii