Paekrea (Native)

The Paekrea - a native species of bird that is extremely intelligent. 
Originally thought to be birds of prey, Paekrea sustain on the abundant fruit and nuts of Saenggyi Tseo’s old-growth jungles. Never before were they seen outside of this area, so most people would never learn about them until the early 460s when one became a leader. 
The Paekrea’s lifecycle is a very long one. They can live up to 200 years old if cancer doesn’t get to them first, which due to their unstable genes is very common. They mate for life, but can not mate at all. They can physically only reproduce once, with females only born with one egg/embryo and cannot produce more. Because of this, currently, there are only about three hundred of them alive. Each Paekrea has at least one human “advisor” that helps them in environments built for humans.
The Paekrea were discovered on the northern coast of Saenggyi Tseo’s central lake around  Y100, during the pre-revolution monarchy. At that point, they had hardy developed further than covered nests. It’s unknown the specific developmental process, but over time they developed tools, vertical farms, and proper homes by watching human settlements. In the year 205, the exiled remnants of the Calhoun family found these villages and were welcomed with chirps and warbles. Over time, the Calhoun family and their loyalist police force (in total, about 300 people) created a community within the hidden civilization and taught the Paekrea. With written words and verbal sounds, language was exchanged. It was nowhere near a perfect system, but just enough to understand each other rudimentarily. After over 250 years, the Paekrea were developed to have a grasp of technology equivalent to humans, but no way to apply it until the rediscovery in the 450s. They never revealed themselves because of the wars and slave junta. Even in the reveal of the species, their city-state remains mostly closed to humans. 
Specifically an anomaly of evolution, they are about three feet long and can have a wingspan of up to seven feet. Underneath the wings, there is an interconnected limb that could’ve been used for manipulation to create nests or gather food, however, it is unknown. Their brains are large, and they have thin skulls. The spinal cords of these creatures are developed completely differently from humans, much more similar to a secondary brain. Their sense of touch is hypersensitive, possibly used to determine weather such as wind speed, humidity, or exact temperature. It is unknown exactly why these peculiar creatures exist, but some theorists believe that they could have been created by mixing a traditional bird with human genes, but is considered madness within the science committee. 
The behavior of Paekrea is surprisingly, much like exotic birds. They flee from sudden movement if it originates from something unknown and are very social. They travel in flocks for protection. A tradition they have is wearing the feathers of their flockmates on their head, in rings around the neck, or added in the tailfeathers. These accompany leaves that are about the same size. It is theorized that this was once a mating ritual that developed into a form of fashion. Paekrea are peaceful and cannot comprehend war, as it would likely cause them extinction.