Handbook of the Birds of the Fictional World

Ki is my name, birdwatching in fiction is my game. I am using my degree as god intended, to make funny posts on the internet.

[birdsofthefictionalworld]

Welcome to the Birds of the World!

My name is Ki, and I LOVE birds. Especially how birds are portrayed in fiction! If you have any great bird-filled media recommendations, drop into my askbox anytime! :D

Directory

Birds of… Tag

Ghost of Tsushima

Chicken Journey

Spotlight Tag

Final Fantasy XV

The Pathless

Misc Metas Tag

The Canary Problem(The Untamed)

Alternation of Trigun Plant Generations

[lowpolyanimals]

Seagull from Ghost of Tsushima

[hawkpartys]

so this page from the tf2 comic #7 is supposed to take place in new mexico

however those vultures are clearly Eurasian Griffins

explain yourselves, valve

[birdsofthefictionalworld]

Oh! This post: https://www.tumblr.com/birdsofthefictionalworld/759992633003327488/alternation-of-trigun-plant-generations I run a couple of Trigun blogs (lost-technology) and @plant-bioreactor-answers which is a roleplay-ish askblog. I think your post would be a perfect thing to reblog on a blog I normally do not do reblogs on - the Trigun fake plant-facts blog where I am pretending to be Rem answering Plant-questions with some of "her" takes. It is okay if you do not want me reblogging there. Just let me know if I can.

Sure, go ahead! I thing I have seen your rp blog around :)

[birdsofthefictionalworld]

Alternation of Trigun Plant Generations

So, not a bird post, but they have feathers so it counts, right? Right?? *sweats*

I was recently introduced to Trigun, and am absolutely fascinated by the reproduction cycle of Plants. Its time to, once again, put my degree to good use. Here goes nothing:

So at first glance it seems pretty damn fantastical. The main character(and main villian) are the, presumably asexual, reproductive products of a creature with significant physiological differences from them. This is strange for asexual reproduction, as such a thing usually results in a sort of “clone” of the parent. Or does it?

Enter, the life cycle of a fern.

The diagram is a little confusing, but the main point is that the diploid fern(top) asexually reproduces to create the haploid fern(bottom), which looks very little like its parent. The haploid fern can then sexually reproduce to create a another diploid fern, and the cycle goes round and round. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, I’m about to explain it in excrutiating detail. I even made a diagram!

So similar to the fern life cycle. In Trigun, the Dependent Plant can asexually reproduce to create an Independent Plant.

First, up at the top of the diagram, the Independent Plant reaches a state of sporing.

This happens very rarely, as there are only two instances of it occurring on SEEDS ships, and no instances on Gunsmoke/Nomansland. It does seem to, however, become more common on earth, as more Independent Plants arrive at the very end of the manga. I would theorize that this has to do with an incredibly extended lifespan leading to a very late onset of sexual maturity, but that is a theory for another day.

Second, moving down and to the right on the diagram, the Dependent creates spores. These take the form of humanoid infants.

Now, this part of the diagram assumes that the known Independent Plants (ie Vash/Knives and Tesla) are actually male and female(and aren’t functionally sexless like Dependents), which is how they could theoretically reproduce sexually. This is where things diverge from general fern life cycles, as the two sexes are in separate entities not combined into one plant. Therefore, when the Dependent Plant spores, it would create either X(female) or Y(male) Plants originating from one half or the other of its own XY genes. This does align with fern reproduction somewhat, as Haploid plants are created from only one half of a copy of the Diploid plant’s genes. In ferns, both sides of the genes have both male and female characteristics, but for Plants it seems to be split, creating Independents with separate sexes.

Third in the diagram, moving to the bottom. The spores grow into recognizable Independent Plants, with far more humanoid forms than Dependents. These guys would then, at sexual maturity be able to sexually reproduce to create a Dependant Plant zygote(fancy word for baby), which would then grown into a fully formed Dependent Plant. And thus, the cycle continues.

Obviously, we do not directly see this in Trigun, as for the majority of the story, there are only two(presumably male) Independent plants. This cycles has clearly not been documented in the era of the SEEDS ships, so the initial method of plant reproduction was likely simple cloning with some genetic engineering involved. But it is more than possible that natural Plant reproduction was determined on earth, which would be why we see more independents showing up with the earth ships at the end of the manga.

Additional Notes:

Returning to something I mentioned earlier on, dependent plant sporing was not occurring on Gunsmoke/Nomansland. I would guess that this is due to the levels of stress placed on the Dependents by the human populations relying on them. Had the humans been able to reduce the strain on their Plants, they may have been able to produce Independents, therefore allowing for the creation of more dependents, further reducing the strain on existing dependents. But that is just my pet theory.

I have additional theories on the mechanisms behind Dependent Plants resource production, and what an ideal environment of multiple plants living freely might look like, but that is for another post.

Thank you for reading! I honestly don't know if I will do any more non-bird metas, but if you liked this, you can always look at #bfw(my general works tag). As always, my ask box is open to suggestions for bird stuff for me to check out!

[birdsofthefictionalworld]

Bird Spotlight: The Pathless

The Pathless(2020) is a action/adventure game from Giant Squid, a studio formed by the art director of Journey(2012), Matt Nava. Nava was also joined by other members of Journey’s production team and released their first title Abzu, in 2016. However, unlike Abzu, our main companion in this game is a bird!

Our striking Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) companion does not disappoint, even to a discerning eye. The model is simple, sleek and beautifully designed, more than worthy for a main protagonist.

The animations are similarly smooth, meticulous, and objectively adorable, just look at those hops!

Additionally, markings on the bird’s underwing coverts and white tail feathers show that or friend is a juvenile.

The sounds, sadly fall short of realism, giving the bird sounds that would match a red-tailed hawk, instead of a golden eagle. I am willing to forgive, however, as the call and response button is a treasure, and the sounds used are, objectively, far more impressive than the real sounds of an eagle.

And, as a final note: YOU GET TO PET THE BIRD

Thank you for reading! If you want to see more of these, I will be tagging this series as #spotlights as well #bfw(my general works tag), and as always, my ask box is open to suggestions for bird stuff for me to check out!

[lucidicer]

low poly animals in the sims are my favourite cryptids

[khijenn]

[birdsofthefictionalworld]

Birds of Tsushima

The Ghost of Tsushima(2020), is a beautifully atmospheric action-adventure game set on the Japanese island of Tsushima, during the first mongol invasion of Japan.

Much of the game consists of riding one’s warhorse through the natural countrysides of the island. Many of the game’s mechanics rely on the natural environment of Tsushima to guide the player around the map. The most striking and prevalent in the game is the Golden Bird, which guides players to main plot objectives.

The Golden Bird is a real species, the Black-naped Oriole, and it is not the only one on the island. Most of the birds in this games are only a backround element, near unnoticeable to the player. But looking a bit deeper shows an impressive degree of for-thought put into the detail of each model. I have found a total of 12 real native bird species present throughout the island. And I am about to describe them all.

Each bird will have a game screenshot, a irl species photo, and a small blurb about the bird in-game, including where it can be found for the virtual-birding-inclined.

First up:

Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinens

The so called "golden bird" is the main plot guide in this game and can be found at undiscovered points of interest.

Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica

This bird swarms above Haiku spots in large numbers.

Gray Heron Ardea cinerea

This large wetland bird can be found at the farmsteads of Izuhara. This bird seems to share a model with the next entry.

Red-crowned Crane Grus japonensis

These striking birds can only be found in the Old Togo Rice Fields, near Fort Ito. This species is often used to symbolize immortality and divinity in eastern folklore and religion.

Greater white-fronted Goose Anser albifrons

These birds are easy to overlook and hard to approach but can be found by the Old Togo Rice Fields, near Fort Ito, pond near Numata Settlement.

Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris

These birds can be found in multiple locations along the coastline, but i got the closest to them at Mending Rock Shrine.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

These birds are used as messengers by the defending Japanese forces and can be found as plot objectives at select mongol bases. The model seems to be the male form of the species.

Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos

Golden Eagles are not a native of Tsushima island, but are heavily used in traditional Mongolian falconry. In the game, you will often come across them as in Mongol scouting parties. Fun fact, if you kill the handler of these birds instead of the birds themselves, they will sometimes come and perch on the body. Great for photo ops! But quite depressing.

Additionally, these birds are traditionally used to hunt small animals such as red foxes for pelts. Suitably symbolic for the island’s sacred foxes.

Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos

The crow is actually the first bird you see in the game, as it perches on your not-quite-dead body just after the intro. It can also be found at Kamistu Forge and on various dead bodies around the map.

These three have far less detailed models, so their species are more educated guesses than perfect identifications.

From left to right:

Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus (I am very confident about this one)

Warbling White-eye Zosterops japonicus (I am reasonably confident about

this one)

Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus (this is a very educated guess)

And finally we have the last bird, number 13, and i have no idea what the hell it is supposed to be.

-yellow swallow- what the fuck are you?

This enigma can be found in several places including Senseo, NW Izuhara near coast, and SW of Numata Settlement. I don't know what it is. It looks like it shares a model with the Pacific Swallow with the coloration of a juvenile Blue Tit. I would appreciate any and all suggestions for what it possibly could be.

And thats the Birds of Tsushima! I plan to do several more of these type of posts for various fictional birds from all sorts of media, so come and follow if you would like to see them. I will be tagging this series #birds of the fictional world as well #bfw(my general works tag)

And if you have any good medias for me to look at birds in, send me an ask! I would love to hear about them!

[profjpg]

[vampirerobot-deactivated2025021]

[birdsofthefictionalworld]

Bird Spotlight: The Zu, Final Fantasy XV

The Zu is one of the many bird-like creatures in the final fantasy universe. In most depictions it is a darkly colored, aggressive bird with prominent teeth. Here. shining a spotlight on the Zu to talk about its similarity to several real-world species, both past and present.

Part 1: Specificity

To start off, lets look at the bird’s real-world counterparts. The Zu’s overall body plan is undeniably vulturine, with its heavy barrel shaped body and long (mostly) naked neck. But its specific classification managed to surprise me.

On a cursory view, I has believed that the Zu took sole inspiration from Andean Condors, due to their similar color scheme and vulturine appearance. But on closer inspection, the Zu actually bears a far greater physical resemblance to Old World Vultures.

That iconic white ruff around the Zu’s neck was the first feature that drew my eye. It has a remarkable similarity to the Andean Condor’s white ruff. Especially when paired with the black covert feathers, but that is where the similarities end. The Zu has major features that point me into another direction, the Feet and the Pants.

The Zu’s feet are undeniably Acciptridae, a clade which includes Eagles, Hawks and old world Vultures. The toes are thick, and the talons curve sharply upwards before coming down to a deadly point.

New world vultures(Cathartidae), on the other hand, have what is affectionately refereed to as chicken feet, with relatively smaller and weaker toes and talons. These birds have a far weaker grip strength and are less likely to attack with their feet(this is personal experience lmao). In the FFXV, one of the Zu’s main attacks is stomping.

The next feature, just above those big ol’ stompy feet is the Pants. The Zu’s bright, showy and stylish outfit choice is another feature missing from the new world vultures group. And when we look over to the old world vultures, this type of downy leg coverings are found only in the subfamily Aegypiinae, such as the Lappet-faced Vulture(Torgos tracheliotos).

Assuming that the Zu's design comes from a specific clade(aka an Andean Condor's ruff wasn't pasted onto an an old world vulture) we could narrow the classification down further. The Zu’s white ruff then indicates that the Zu likely belongs to genus Gyps, with its real world cousins including species such as the Eurasian Griffin Vulture(Gyps fulvus).

So yeah, African Vulture Supremacy(I still love condors I promise)

Part 2: Fantasticality

Moving on from the real, I would also like to point out several parts of the Zu’s design that, while completely fictitious, are still pretty damn cool.

For one, the body proportions. One of the things common bird-like monster design(that hurts my poor birdbrain) is the sheer impracticality of wingspan. The FFXV Zu? is Gorgeous. The wingspan is absolutely massive, around 4x its basic body length, which matches perfectly to the wingspan of its real world counterparts.

Speaking of that second set of wings, they may have an important function. The Zu’s teeth also bear a striking resemblance to extinct Pelagornis a genus of prehistoric pseudo-toothed birds. The reason that birds initially lost their teeth, despite their use for holding on to slippery prey, is because teeth are heavy. So, if the Zu had some vital function that prevented it from loosing its teeth a second set of wings to help hold up that burden while in flight could be a necessary trade off.

The final trait I would like to mention in this spotlight is wing shape, because the Zu actually has two distinctive wing shapes on its two sets of wings. The upper set are a basic long-distance soaring shape common to vultures, but the second set appear to be a mix between the shapes for soaring such as the Ruppell's Vulture(Gyps rueppelli)and the high-speed sustained flight shape common for migratory sea-birds, such as the Magnificent Frigatebird(Fregata magnificens).

I was not able to track down a species with wings quite like them, but I would love input from if anyone has a guess.

That about wraps up this spotlight, it ended up waay longer than i intended :p.

I plan to do several more spotlights for various fictional birds from all sorts of media, so come and follow if you would like to see them. I will be tagging this series #spotlights as well #bfw(my general works tag).

If anyone has any good medias for me to look at birds in, send me an ask! I would love to hear about them!

Photo Credits in order

Andean Condor: Mason Maron - Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ML421687901) Bald Eagle: Ian Davies - Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ML31692591) Black Vulture: Enrique Mejía - Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ML617197078 ) Lappet-faced Vulture: Roland Bischoff - Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ML204748881) Eurasian Griffon Vulture: Richard Bartz - Wikimedia Commons (File:Gyps_fulvus_Richard_Bartz.jpg) Ruppell's Griffon Vulture: José A Cortés Guerrero - Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ML618960228) Pelgaornis sp.: Peter Trusler - National Geographic (truth-of-the-pelagornis-pseudotooth) Magnificent Frigatebird: Connor Cochrane - Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (ML436416971)

To find most of these photos at the source you can go to macaulaylibrary.org/asset/[insert ML# here]

[jelly-time]

little birds’ sofa - green parakeet 🍋🍃

bonus!

[low-poly-animals]

Pet Bird ～Tiel～ from Vket 2023 Winter: Hotel Gajou-en -Supreme-

[cric-kitty]

FREE PALESTINE

[ormspryde]

I didn't do a render for the first, so have this parakeet as a consolation prize.

[ID: A low poly 3d model of a blue parakeet perched in a tree against a backdrop of clouds and grass. /ID]

[nupsume]

birbs for life