Tayan falcon

The Tayan falcon was a species of predatory bird with sparkling amber feathers found in the mountains of the planet Kinyen. Tayan falcon imagery was used in Kinyen's Doellinist religion, and the birds themselves were revered as avatars of the religion's primary deity, Doellin. They shared a name with Taya, another of Doellin's avatars. The falcons were trained by herders to fend off pests, and the falcons' methods of doing so influenced the socialist Tayan League, the political party that led the planet.
==Biology and appearance==
Tayan falcons were mountain-nesting birds of prey found on the Expansion Region planet Kinyen. Their feathers were a sparkling amber in color.
==Behavior==
The falcons were diurnal predators that used thermal updrafts to fly above Kinyen's silvergrass fields and hunt rodents and insects. Tayan falcons were trainable, and many gamwidge herders taught them to keep away llaya, which otherwise would have threatened their herds. To scare off the llaya, the falcons used a unique strategy in which they shrieked and feinted dive-bombs.
==History==
The Tayan falcon shared its name with Taya, the winged avatar of Doellin, who was the primary deity of Kinyen's Doellinist religion, and the birds were themselves viewed as avatars of Doellin. The falcons' hallowed status was also boosted by their control of llaya and other pests, which was said to be Doellin working to keep her lands free of pests.
Due to their status, Tayan falcon imagery was used on Kinyen in both political and religious settings. The First Temple of Doellin, the largest Doellinist temple on the planet, contained bright blue Tayan falcon motifs, while the Capra Spaceport's design was inspired by a falcon in flight. The trappings of religious and political figures and other religious symbols often made use of Tayan falcon imagery.
The philosophy of the Tayan League, the socialist political party that ruled Kinyen, including its ideas of pacifism and exile, was influenced by the Tayan falcon's behavior toward llaya.
==Behind the scenes==
The Tayan falcon was mentioned in the 2015 sourcebook Strongholds of Resistance, a supplement for the Star Wars: Age of Rebellion roleplaying game from Fantasy Flight Games.
==Sources==
*Strongholds of Resistance 
==Notes and references==
Category:Birds
Category:Carnivorous creatures
Category:Creatures of Kinyen
Category:Domesticated creatures
Category:Mountain creatures
Category:Species of undefined sentience