Blood HeronsLucianis Lucianis

TW: a lot of blood

Blood Herons are rare birds that can be found in various areas across Equestria, areas which seem to corespond to the routes of the Lost Tribe. Their prey consists in frogs, mice and fish, but they are very dangerous to hunt because of their long sharp feathers on their wings, which they can shoot when threatened. Because of this and their brutal mating rituals, they are admired by Tribe grifix and became sacred birds, their blood being used for textile and mask paint.

Their head feathers have round markings on them, which strangely seem to confuse small animals which become very dishoriented when a blood heron will bend over to kill. Their tail feathers seem to act in a similar way to any predator that might attack from above or behind. If the bird will sense the presence of a predator, they will shoot their attack wing feathers at them, which can kill the predator.

The attack feathers are feathers which hang from the top of their wings and can be shot for defense. When such feathers are shot or plucked out, the bird will lose a lot of blood.

They never eat the meat of anything they kill, they simply stick their beak in the corpse and suck all the blood.

When a grifix gets their set sphirix shape, in order for them to become a warrior they must kill a blood heron empty handed, just with their claws and teeth. This also happens if a healer wants to become a warrior.

For their mating ritual, the male will pluck out its attack feathers and while honding one in it's beak he will "paint" the female with his blood. The birds usually end up covered in blood after mating.

Their egg color resembles that of lava, and the egg white and yolk are completely red. The parents will vomit blood into their chicks mouths in order to feed them.

Creator: CrystalIzzy77