Grabbers
Living as a migrant

Inside the Munticula subgenus we can find: 

• The Altaregrabber (Limnaves Munticula munticula), a large species adapted to the cold tundra of the Central Massif. Two separate wintering areas are known, located in montane or subalpine regions. They are intermediate feeders,  feasting on both grasses and low shrubs.
  Their white-grey pattern helps them to hide in rocky environments from the fierce incubos, their main predators.

• The Fujigrabber (Limnaves Munticula supersylvaticus), a medium-sized grabber characterized by a crest similar to a helmet, used to move snow in search of food. They are found in the mountain tundra of the Fimbulheimen mountain range, north of the Central Massif.
  Instead of making a marked altitudinal shift to reach its wintering areas, this bird moves in the eastern part of its range, where snowfalls are scarce and grass remains mostly exposed even during winter.
  They possess a grey-colored exposed skin that seems a continuation of its beak, whit not obvious utility: like many features present in grabbers, it could be just the result of sexual selection.
  They are the only grabber species with a brown coat, which however tends to lighten in the nuptial phase in males.

• The Everdrygrabber (Limnaves Munticula deserticus) is a large species and the only grabber adapted to live in arid conditions, in the Everdry plateau. They can stay without water and food for days and they periodically migrate in the only humid zone of their habitat during winter. They have a very strong beak that is used to feed on the succulent plants of the plateau.
  The lower part of their body is almost featherless, which could be an adaptation to disperse heat in excess, a serious problem during the typical hot summers of their habitat. The bright yellow plumage on the upper part could instead act as a useful camouflage.
  They seem to have a surprised face, due to a small keratinized crest over their eyes.

• The Amerygrabber (Limnaves Munticula penultimus), is the largest of all mountaingrabbers, exceeding 130 kg. They breed in mountain regions near Amery Bay, but they seasonally migrate in the lowlands during winter.
  They are one of the most aquatic grabbers and they are characterized by nostrils positioned in the upper part of the skull: this feature could be useful for breathing while its body is almost completely submerged, but it could also be just the result of sexual selection (which is extremely strong in grabbers).

• The Transantarcticgrabber (Limnaves Munticula verticalis) is one of the smallest grabbers and it's found in the Transantarctic mountains. It's the only mountaingrabber that has secondarily lost the head crest typical of the subgenus. They are characterized by a white-grey pattern, with the exception of some orange-brown stripes on the neck.
  Due to its small size, this species of grabbers is one of the main prey of local sheardogs, even in adulthood:  as a deterrent, Transantarcticgrabbers may form gigantic herds of thousands of individuals.  During winter they often associate with bullducks, which act as a great deterrent against wardrums and herdstalkers.

• The Rossgrabber (Limnaves Munticula silviprimordialis), a medium-sized grabber that lives in the Ross primordial peninsula. Altitudinal migrations are known also for this species. It's one of the most graminivorous grabbers of the subgenus, due to competition with the last large rostrid of the Lentocene.
  A large wattle is attached to its crest, dangling even under its eyes, which could be useful for thermoregulation. They are the only grabbers with a dark green pattern, which acts as perfect camouflage in the extremely shady forest of Ross: without the presence of large ducktails and their bulldozing activity, these forests remain the densest of Polarica.

• The Lorentzgrabber (Limnaves Munticula peninsularis), a medium-sized species, found in the Lorentz peninsula. While living near the Transantarctigrabber, the Lorentzgrabber seems to be the result of hybridization between Day-Nightgrabbers and an ancient line of Rossgrabbers that once lived in the Transantarctic mountains. Like their two ancestors, this grabber possesses an orange plumage and a wattle on its head.
  Lorentzgrabbers spend summer in the mountainous side of the Ross Bay, while in winter they move at lower altitudes facing the Ronne Gulf, where temperatures are higher and snowfalls are less abundant.

The subgenus Planicula includes instead:

• The Day-Nightgrabber (Limnaves Planicula phoenicopteromimus), a widely discussed semiaquatic grabber that breeds in the warmest part of the Day-Night steppe. They are inclined to interbreed with other grabbers, been known to reproduce with Belgranograbbers, AnteDay-Nightgrabbers, Altaregrabbers and even Lorentzgrabbers. These birds are also known for their outstanding migration: they can walk for more than 1000 km to reach their summer residence.
  They are among the most colorful species of grabbers, with plumage that varies from orange-red to green.

• The AnteDay-Nightgrabber (Limnaves Planicula steppicus), a big-sized grabber that seasonally moves from the coast of Wilkes land to the Day-Night steppe to breed. They are strongly related to the Day-Nightgrabber and are sometimes even classified as the same subspecies; they are anatomically identical, except for their greater size and appearance.
  They are unique among grabbers for having highly keratinized skin on the face, which protects them from the spiky grasses of the Day-Night steppe while grazing.

• The Belgranograbber (Limnaves Planicula humidus), the largest grabber species, can reach 2.3 meters in height. It's found in the Belgrano wetlowland ecoregion, where they exclusively feed on foliage all year. When temperatures drop, this grabber migrates along the coast, where temperatures are warmer and snowfalls are virtually absent.
  Their slender legs and large semi-webbed feet help them at moving in the gigantic marsh of Belgrano, one of the most productive places present in Antarctica at its time.  While it often feeds on aquatic plants, the main food of their diet compromise leaves and buds which can be reached thanks to its long neck.
  They are one of the most abundant and successful species of grabbers, numbering over 8 million individuals.

Lastly, the only member of the Pelagica subgenus is:

• The Insulargrabber (Limnaves Pelagica relicta), is the smallest of all grabbers and the only one found on an island. They are the last of an ancestral clade of grabbers and possess primordial features, like a higher number of cervical vertebrae, a semiaquatic habit, a simplified beak morphology and a modest size (which is curiously not caused by insularity). Despite living in a relatively small insular environment (the island doesn't exceed 7000 km2), insulargrabbers have maintained a migratory behavior, moving from the wettest to the driest part of the island to breed.
  Due to their insular condition, Insulargrabbers are meek and have lost the atavistic aggressiveness typical of grabbers (a conditiont that's called insular tameness).