| Class: | Realistic beast |
| Hab: | Any grassland or forest with exposed rocky areas, subterranean |
| Fre: | Uncommon |
| Num: | 5-50 adults and sub-adults + 10 - 110 young |
| Lair: | All 40% of time, 30% of flock other times |
| Size: | 100-200 pounds |
| Move: | 60 mph dive/charge, 20 mph waddle/charge |
| Def: | Heavy pelt, tough hide |
| Att: | Vicious bite, claws, drop stones |
| Int: | Bright beast |
| Spec: | Excellent excavators |
| Posns: | Collect shiny trinkets, horde food |
Very similar to the Bear-Bird (which SEE), the badger bird looks as though someone built a bird using only badger parts. The badger-bird is somewhat smaller and sleeker than the bear bird. Its flatter body makes it a better glider while its longer, extremely flexible neck is better at getting in to tight places.
The neck of the badger-bird is serpent-supple. This allows it to twist out chunks of flesh, leaving freely bleeding wounds. The badger-bird, like the weasel, is believed by many to suck the blood of its prey. Others affirm that the badger-bird, like the leucrotta, has not teeth but rather bite with the exposed, serrated edged of its jawbone; perhaps they have beaks within their muzzles.
The badger-bird is a faster digger than the bear bird, but, being unable to move such large stones and tree limbs, makes greater use of smaller stones, braced with sticks and branches, all cemented with sandy clay. Their denning complexes, called sets, are generally excavated in cliff faces but may be built up on ledges. Ruins, which provide artificial cliffs and ledges, are also favored. Generations of use, with continual digging and building, often result in quite elaborate denning complexes, with redundant tunnels and multiple chambers. There are often separate dens for the kits and each sub-adult and for larders and latrines.
Tunnels may run hundreds of feet deep where not foreshortened by solid masses of hard stone. The main line tunnels are generally about 4'-6' wide and 4'-6' tall (depending on the digging conditions), but side tunnels are usually only 3' wide and 2' tall; cave entrances are similarly smaller. Long tunnels are often broken by defensive turnabout caves, larger spaces behind narrow openings, which let several defenders outflank the single intruder which can enter at one time.
Badger-birds often share their sets with other creatures, including bear birds. In this case, the badger birds will often build some larger tunnels and caves to accommodate their "tenants." All benefit form mutual protecting of their common complex.
Badger-birds are omnivores, but prefer a larger portion of meat in their diet than do bear birds. A flock of badger-birds generally consists of 3-18 adult pairs and 50 - 150% (d% + 50) times as many sub-adults, plus 2-6 eight kits in each nest. These latter generally stay in the den with one or two of the sub adults when the adults are out hunting with the others.
When hunting, half the flock will carry stones. These are dropped with deadly accuracy, often as a surprise. The stoning is promptly followed by a dive-charge. Individuals snatch up smaller prey with their claws, but larger prey is likely to be mobbed. As many individuals as can find a grip grab hold with their claws, which lock in a tight death-grip. Then, the badger-birds then use their weasel-vicious bite to rend their prey.
Badger-birds retreat if badly injured. But retreating does not mean abandoning their quarry. The first individuals to retreat will go back to the nest to fetch reinforcements, including any carnivorous commensal creatures that live with them. If the prey seems unlikely to be subdued, the whole flock withdraws, but not to flee; they will keep up their attack with round after round of dropped stones until convinced that it would be easier to get dinner elsewhere.
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