Fiction:The Firmament/Hippogriff

Hippogriffs are a species of magical beast who have the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse. They are closely related to griffons.

Appearance
Hippogriffs are large, strongly-built creatures resembling a cross between eagle and horse, possessing a bird's head, wings and forelegs but the hoofed hindlegs and tail of a horse. They come in a variety of colours, with the most common darker shades of green and brown. The average hippogriff is 2 meters from beak to tail and weight 180 kilograms.

Ecology
Hippogriffs live in areas of dense woodland, using their natural camouflage to ambush prey. They are omnivorous but have a preference for meat, and as such often hunt small creatures such as squirrels, rabbits and birds for food.

Society
Hippogriffs are extremely territorial and aggressive creatures; they do not tolerate other creatures in their vicinity and are very easily provoked into violence. Because of this, they rarely seek one another in order to avoid potential injury, only coming together to mate before parting ways.

Abilities
Hippogriffs have no supernatural abilities, but are potent and very aggressive fighters; if engaged, they will throw themselves at the enemy and attack them with a flurry of angered bites, scratches and kicks. They are exceptional fliers, being able to reach great speeds in the air and only being matched by a few other creatures.