Creature:Caharil

The Caharil (Plural: Caharili) are a species of bipedal birds native to the planet Fer'don.

=Physiology= Caharili are generally slim build with highly sinewous muscles. These muscles have evolved to have a high stress tolerance and, combined with the sharp claws on their hands and feet, can grip to surfaces such as trees or cliff foaces for a long period of time. They are also capable of 'locking' these muscles to provide even greater strength. Their large torsos consist of large pectoral and upper back muscles which not only provide improved grip but also added raw strength. They are highly adaptable as shown by their legs which are designed for long distance running. Like many avians caharili posess dual-chambered air sacs which constantly keeps oxygen flowing through their body. Although they have lost the flight use of wings, the air sacs remain and boost both long-distance running and low-density atmospheric tolerance. The skeleton is lighter than most ground-based animals of a similar size due to the transition from flying to swinging, the bones are thickest in the limbs (which can rivel the density of a human limb bone) and thinnest in the skull. The amount of soft cartilage in the joints is greater than in humans, making the caharil naturally double-jointed.

Their body is covered in soft feathers that cover the body. In males the chest feathers feature prominently and are a bold colour compared to the rest of the body. Males also bear a crest of feathers behind the neck. Both males and females have elongated feathers along the arms - a sign the species at some evolutionary point had wings. The caharil anatomy posesses an advanced syrinx and is capable of mimicing a wide variety of animals with surprising precision (possibly a defence mechanism to ward off potential predators). They are naturally herbivorous; preferring fruits and berries for sustenance. The digestive tract extracts as much of the material as possible, storing resources for further use which maximises the amount of useful material they can hold from a single meal allowing them to survive for days without food.

Caharil lay between one to four eggs every eight months, these eggs are normally 23cm at their broadest point and come in a bluish oval shape. The female chooses which male is allowed to mate with her before she lays the fertilised eggs and rests on them for seven months. When the chick hatches it uses a tiny horn on it's beak (which fades as they age) to break the eggshell. Typically caharili have a high, somewhat angelic voice. Due to complete control over the syrinx they are capable of mimicing a wide variety of animalistic sounds from birdsong to the growls of a tiger. The angelic voice occurs only when the muscles are 'at rest' and the user is not trying to mimic something.

Psychology
A typical caharil thinks on a group level and often cares just as much about those around them as they do themselves, sometimes moreso. They prefer staying in close family groups known as flights. While the female takes care of the eggs, the male will gather food to provide for the mother until the chicks hatch. Once hatched the parents will alternate in turns to care for the nest until the chicks are old enough to fend for themselves.

Caharili spend their lives with their spouse and, unlike in certain mammal groups, they will bond for life; not leave their partner until one of them passes on. When one of them passes on the other will seek a new mate and the bond begins again. Males will often impress the females with a bold display of their feather crests, arm feathers, and vocal ability - the more impressive the better.

The heartsong
A peculear phenomenon in the makeup of a caharil brain: All carahili posess what they call a 'heartsong'; a psycic echo present in all members of the species. This noise is said to take the form of an angelic choir and releases serotonin in the brain to the hearer. An interesting aspect is that all caharil emit their own heartsong which others can hear and this has a direct effect on the population; the more caharili in the vicinity the greater levels of serotonin released. It has been documented that those who seek solitary confinement end up going insane due to an absence of this psycic echo.

This echo also serves as a locator beacon. When an individual wishes to find a particular member of the species they will focus on that particular echo. This helps family groups stay together and when trained they can send messages via base-level telepathy to anyone in particular. A Chaharil can permit non-caharil to hear the heartsong through direct contact, however this requires intense training and the recipient recieves only the melody; unable to benefit from the other aspects unless they themselves posess some psycic ability and familiarity with the heartsong.