THE
BANDED
RICAU |
The Banded Ricau
is a snowy white seabird which
needs warmer weather and therefore is mainly located at sea and along the
coasts of the Burning, Aetryam and southern Adanian Seas.
Appearance.
The Banded Ricau is a mostly snowy white seabird approx.
1 and 1/3 fore in length. It has two thin elongated central tail
feathers which are another half ped.
These tail feathers are also white except the last finger length that is black.
The body is streamlined and all white except for a black half moon shape around
the red eyes. The beak is long and narrow slightly curved down at the end and is
also a red in color. It has short legs with webbed feet, which are red. The
wings are also white except the ends of the primary and secondary feathers. The
last thumb width of these feathers is marked with three bands of
black-gray-black. This can only be seen when they are flying. With their wings
folded, the black coloring appears as two short bands at the back of the body.
Special Abilities.
The Banded Ricau has no special ability other than being able to fly far out to
sea in search of food and staying aloft the whole time.
Territory. The Banded
Ricau needs warmer weather therefore it is mainly located at sea and along the
coasts of the Burning, Aetryam and southern Adanian Seas.
Habitat/Behaviour.
The Banded Ricau is a solitary bird that only comes together during the breeding
season, which begins in spring. Then they are numerous and inhabit cliff areas
or places with high ledges. Here they will fight over nest sites and partners.
The whole breeding season is a constant motion and commotion. The bird moves
awkwardly on land and that is why they choose breeding grounds where they can
launch straight from the nest. They are also poor swimmers so they usually hover
over the water plunging down to seize their prey. Overall these
birds are elegant flyers,
able to soar long distances from the warm air off the sea.
Diet. The Banded
Ricau will eat small fish and crustaceans that it catches at sea.
Mating. During the
breeding season the male Banded Ricau's breast feathers
take on a reddish tinge. He will fly back and forth before a prospective mate.
There are many vying for her attention and all the males are trying to chase off
all other rivals while attracting her attention. It appears as total chaos but
somehow the females will choose one from the many. They will not build a nest
but lay a single egg on the ground and both parents will then incubate and feed
the hatchling. The whole process takes a little over four months.
Information provided by
Thuja
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