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Ancestor: Surf-running Sparrow

Size: 30 cm beak to tail

Dietary Needs: Diet consists mainly of animal protein in the form of invertebrates, but it may also take the form of fish, small lizards and mice, or carrion.  They will also eat some berries , grain and seeds, though for the latter it's beak is no longer specialised and they won't dedicate too long to this task if there is anything better to eat.

Life Cycle: Males and females look near-identical when observed by most animals, but they are sensitive to each other's differences.  The male has a richer yellow stripe and yellower legs, not even strictly always the case which makes identification more difficult. They are sensitive enough to the differences that it is obvious to them.

When young and "single" males and females both have to work to attract a mate. Most of this takes the form of gestures, vocalisations and posing, which is often inherited from watching their parents having bonding sessions, though they are quick learners and will add moves and vocalisations to their move set that they observe and hear from other young adults trying for a mate.

So gradual and complex is this process that it starts in winter. By spring, many of them will have paired and started building their own nest. The nest is often creatively located. Due to the issue with perching mentioned above, they make wide, flat nests with a slight dip to the centre to stop eggs from falling out. Some trees are better than others for this. Some birds use the land itself, such as groves and caves in cliffs or rocky inland structures inaccessible to non-flying animals. They use many sticks, a lot of grass and any sort of lining they can find, from moss to animal fur and feathers. For species with a tendency to use inaccessible caves and cliffs, nests are not as intricate. Materials are roughly laid out in a back crevice away from the wind to keep the eggs warm and stop them rolling away. Species who use trees more often tend to be more careful nest builders.

The parents can usually manage 2 broods in one good year, keeping their offspring in tow well into the winter. Out of around 4 eggs, usually 1-3 offspring survive to adulthood.

Other: Scans the ground for food from the air. Usually forages alone or as a pair and will aggressively compete with others, but when a large resource has been found such as a carcass they will noisily gather for safety in numbers. They can attack and mob other small scavengers as a group, and if not the many eyes looking for danger makes being in a large group safer.

It's underside is covered in layered, flat feathers covered in a waterproofing hydrophobic oil secreted from glands on the chest. After cleaning themselves they will spread this oil around with their beak so that next time they encounter water they will be ready. Beneath this waterproofed layer of feathers is dense downy feathers fluffed with air before contacting the water. This allows the bird to sit quite high on the water with minimal contact.

They have traded the ability to perch comfortably with the ability to paddle in water, which is more energy efficient than flying, or having to use their wings to paddle Since they can find crustaceans and other food near the water's surface, they often feel safer quietly feeding on the water's surface or at night roosting if they can see a cat around on land (and sometimes even when they can't, such as very dense ground cover in a forest. They can still sit on a branch if it's thick enough, but can no longer really hold on to the branch tightly as the back toe has reduced to make paddling more energy efficient by reducing drag.