Jubjub

A species native to Ketesh, the Jubjub is one of the few avian species to survive the cataclysm that struck the northern continent, devastating its biosphere. Once a common sight, especially near the warmer parts of the planet, the Jubjub is nevertheless in decline, a result of predation by the introduced Rath’s of Doisac.
The Jubjub is renowned within Voltakran folklore as a symbol of passion, and their feathers are prized as Sangheili aphrodisiacs and luck charms. Indeed, its brilliant plumage and spectacular aerial manoeuvres are quite impressive, though are actually an intricate courtship display. Males possess bright red plumage at the back of the head, while females possess a blue back-swept crest. For the most part, differences between the sexes is negligible, with neither displaying sexual dimorphism. Flocks do not appear to differentiate between genders, and usually lack a leader "alpha". Eggs are cared for by the flock, bringing food to the nest and teaching the chicks to fly at an early age. Flight is a neccessity for Jubjubs, given the harsh and inhospitable conditions of Balaho's surface.
The Jubjub's ideal climate is the temperate zones that surround natural magmatic and geothermal geysers, where they feed on fruits. Toward the fringes, Jubjubs become less specialised and more opportunistic, resorting to scavenging carcasses left by Snarks and Raths for sustenance. Flocks that make their territory near geysers tend to perform better, and outcompete fringe Jubjubs, though the two remain the same species.
Recently, the introduction of Rath's to the ecosystem has had a dramatic and devastating effect on Jubjub numbers. The opportunistic scavengers are able to locate Jubjub nests, gorging themselves on the eggs and young chicks. Despite spirit defences by the Jubjub flocks, a Rath will usually get what it wants. With the sudden drop in infant mortality, the population has begun to drop. Jubjubs remain common, but may disappear within fifty years. Efforts to curb the Rath population have had little impact, and the focus has turned to preserving the Jubjubs that remain. Environmental reserves have been set up, and the Morhekan, Trinity, and Voltakran governments have begun extensive breeding and repopulation programs, with the first groups introduced into the wild faring well with the Rath culls.
== Quotes ==
*"Once, millions of Jubjubs flew overhead, migrating north or south. Now its barely a trickle."
*"The Raths have laid much that was once great. Patches of forest have disappeared, cleared by tyhe Rath's relentless scrounging. Birds and animals have disappeared, and even the Snarks have difficulty keeping them at bay. They are truely as abhorrent as the Jiralhanae they share a homeworld with."
*"The Keltashans once believed that the Jubjubs were created by the spirits of the mountains, as they poured forth their molten lava. "Jubjub" literally translates to "burning" in ancient Keltashan. The closest word the humans have would be "Phoenix."