Halian

The halians (Anthropornis harpax, Lat. "grasping bird-man"; generally, Anthropronis harpax astroperegrina, Lat. "space-travelling grasping bird-man") are a species of bipedal, erect, digitigrade-standing avian humanoids with an somewhat raptor-like appearance greatly resembling Earth birds of prey. Numerous races or lineages emerged as adaptations to different environments, but certain universal traits can be described. These include downy feathers covering their bodies, and longer feathers on their forearms, forward-looking faces with large eyes, leathery skin, and pointed mouths reminiscent of more basal beak-like snouts. Their 'plumage' is incredibly varied with respect to color and pattern, and skin tone can vary from black or dark brown to vibrant reds or blues. Their hands end with sharp, grasping claws rather than the soft fingertips of most humanoids. halians tend to be tall and lanky, compared to most humans.
Originating on the low-gravity planet Halia in the Strabo star system of the Eagle Nebula, the halians evolved to be light and nimble, likely as pack hunters on semi-arboreal savannahs. It is uncertain what environmental pressures led to the evolution of a naturally upright stance, but by around a million years ago they had reached their anatomically modern form and quickly expanded beyond their forested habitats to every landmass on the planet. Its nearest genetic relatives, subspecies A. h. ergaster and A. h. arboreus, still exist on Halia in biological preserves, and number in the millions of individuals; these subspecies are tool-using, but remain in a state of anatomical and behavioral pre-modernity, and as such are considered a paleolithic tool-using race. Modern halians developed agriculture around 13,000 years ago and reached industrial modernity in the 1400s CE.
The halians were the first intelligent, spacefaring alien species encountered by humanity, with First Contact in February 2301.