..:Birds:..

BIRDS

FINCH, Whistling: Flighted bird found at the ground level of the rainforest; it is insectivorous.

“In the ground zone, and on the ground itself, are certain birds, some flighted, like the hook-billed gort, which preys largely on rodents, such as ground urts, and the insectivorous whistling finch, and some unflighted, like the grub borer and lang gim”. - Explorers of Gor, page 311

FLEER: Large hook-billed bird that hunts at night.

“My master looked upward, at the moons. From through the trees, on the other side of the camp, came what I took to be the sound of a bird, the hook-billed, night-crying fleer, which preys on nocturnal forest urts”. - Slave Girl of Gor, page 117

FLEER, Long-Billed: A bird that inhabits the emergent level of the rainforests of Schendi.

“In the level of the emergents there live primarily birds, in particular parrots, long-billed fleers, and needle-tailed lits”. - Explorers of Gor, page 311

FLEER, Prairie: Yellow bird with long wings and a sharp bill; sometimes called the 'maize bird' or 'corn bird' from the belief that it is usually the first bird to find food.

“The fleer is a large, yellow, long-billed, gregarious, voracious bird of the Barres. It is sometimes also called the Cord Bird or the Maize Bird” - Savages of Gor, page 246

Fruit Tindel: A bird that inhabits the canopy zone of the rainforests of the Schendi area.

“In the 2nd level, that of the canopies, is found an incredible variety of birds, warblers, finches, mindars, the crested lit and the common lit, the fruit tindel, the yellow gim, tanagers, some varieties of parrot, and many more”. - Explorers of Gor, page 311

Gant, Arctic: Migratory bird that nests on cliffs in the Hrimgar Mountains, the southern border of the polar north. When frozen, their eggs are eaten like apples.

“I stepped aside to let a young girl pass, who carried two baskets of eggs, those of the migratory artic gant. They nest in the mountains of the Hrimgar and in steep, rocky outcroppings, called bird cliffs, found here and there jutting out of the tundra. The bird cliffs doubtless bear some geological relation to the Hrimgar chains. When such eggs are frozen they are eaten like apples”. Beasts of Gor, page 196

Gant, Jungle: A bird related to the marsh gant that inhabits the river in rainforests inland of Schendi.

“Along the river, of course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders”. Explorers of Gor, page 311

Gant, Marsh: A small long-legged horned bird; broad-billed and broad-winged; hunted by marsh girls its cry is imitated by the rence people as a surreptitious means of communication.

“I heard a bird some forty or fifty yards to my right; it sounded like a marsh gant, a small, horned, web-footed aquatic fowl, broad-billed and broad-winged. Marsh girls, the daughters of rence growers, sometimes hunt them with throwing sticks - Raiders of Gor, page 4

GANT, JUNGLE: A bird related to the marsh gant that inhabits the river in rainforests inland of Schendi.

“Along the river, of course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders”. Explorers of Gor, page 311

GIM, Horned: A small purplish owl-like bird with tufts over eyes c. 4 oz. in weight which inhabits the forests of northern Gor.

“It was a small bird, about the size of a sparrow, but it looked a bit like a tiny owl, with tufts over its eyes. It was purplish. It looked at me quizzically. It was perched on some split piping”. - Captive of Gor, page 39

GIM, Lang: A bird that inhabits the ground level of rainforests inland of Schendi.

GIM, Yellow: A bird related to the horned gim that inhabits the second level of rainforests inland of Schendi.

“In the second level, that of the canopies, is found an incredible variety of birds, warblers, finches, mindars, the crested lit and the common lit, the fruit tindel, the yellow gim, tanagers, some varieties of parrot, and many more”. - Explorers of Gor, page 311

Grub Borer: An insectivorous bird that inhabits the ground level of rainforests inland of Schendi.

GULL, Coasting: Found in Torvaldsland is this broad winged bird with black tips on its wings and tail feathers, similar to the Vosk gull. Its feathers are used on the war arrows of Torvaldsland.

“Its feathers were five inches long, set in the shaft on three sides, feathers of the black-tipped coasting gull, a broad-winged bird, with black tips on it wings and tail feathers, similar to the Vosk gull”. – Marauders of Gor, page 23

GULL, Schendi: Inhabiting the area around Schendi on the Thassa, they nest on land at night.

"Those are Schendi gulls,"said Ulafi, pointing to birds which circled the mainmast. "They nest on land at night." - Explorers of Gor, page 99

GULL, Vosk: A gull of the Vosk Delta and Vosk River. Its feathers are used on sheaf arrows. It winters on the prairies of the Wagon Peoples and flies north in the spring, when the ice breaks up.

“We then waited about a minute, and I saw several birds--river gulls--flying north. "Those are Vosk gulls, " said Kamchak, "In the spring, when the ice breaks in the Vosk, they fly north." - Nomads of Gor, page 137

HERLIT: A large broad-winged bird of the Barrens. It is carnivorous and has yellow feathers tipped with black. Also called 'Sun-Striker' or 'out-of-the-sun-it-strikes' for its habit of striking with the sun above and behind it.

HERLIT - FOREST

“It was peeled Ka-la-na wood and, from its top, there dangled two long, narrow, yellow, black-tipped feathers, from the tail of the taloned Herlit, a large, broad-winged, carnivorous bird, sometimes in Gorean called the Sun Striker, or, more literally, though in clumsier English, Out-of-the-sun-it-strikes, presumably from its habit of mangeing its descent and strike on prey, like the tarn, with the sun above and behind it”. - Savages of Gor, page 143

HERMIT, Yellow-Breasted: a bird of the Northern Forest, it beats with a sharp beak against trees to hunt for larvae.

“Somewhere, far off, but carrying through the forest, was the rapid, staccato slap of the sharp beak of the yellow-breasted hermit bird, pounding into the reddish bark of the tur tree, hunting for larvae”. - Hunters of Gor, page 106

Hook-Billed Gort: a carnivorous hunting bird of the rainforests inland of Schendi; preys on ground urts.

JARD: a small scavenger bird that flies in large flocks. A flock can strip the meat from a tabuk in seconds. Found near Lydius.

"Most of the animals we leave for the larts and sleen, and the jards." The jard is a small scavenger. It flies in large flocks. A flock, like flies, can strip the meat from a tabuk in minutes. "Even the jards die, gorged with meat," said the man near us on the platform”. - Beasts of Gor, page 149

LIT, Common: a bird found in the second level of rainforests in the Schendi area.

LIT, Crested: a brightly plumaged bird found in the second level of rainforests in the Schendi area.

LIT, Needle-Tailed: a bird found in the emergent (highest level) of rainforests in the Schendi area.

“In the level of the emergents there live primarily birds, in particular parrots, long-billed fleers, and needle-tailed lits”. Explorers of Gor, page 311

MINDAR: a short-winged yellow and red bird of the rainforests inland of Schendi. It has a sharp bill that it uses to drill into the bark of flower trees for larvae and grubs.

“Kisu pointed overhead. "See the mindar," he said. We looked up and saw a brightly plumaged, short-winged, sharp-billed bird. It was yellow and red. "That is a forest bird," said Kisu. The mindar is adapted for short, rapid flights, almost spurts, its wings beating in sudden flurries, hurrying it from branch to branch, for camouflage in flower trees, and for drilling the bark of such trees for larvae and grubs”. - Explorers of Gor, page 282

PARROT: A bird found in the emergent level of the rainforest some varieties are also found in the level of the canopies of the rainforest.

“In the level of the emergents there live primarily birds, in particular parrots, long-billed fleers, and needle-tailed lits”. - Explorers of Gor, page 311

TARN: crested hawk-like bird large enough to be saddled and flown, it is used in battle and in racing and is bred for swiftness and aggressiveness.

TARN, Jungle:

"To the crowd's astonishment, but not to mine, he wheeled his tarn, a rare, gloriously plumaged jungle tarn from the tropical reaches of the Cartius, to black the first of the right center rings." - Assassins of Gor, pg. 368

TARN, Racing: A tarn that is lighter and smaller than normal tarns. Used for racing, its wings are shorter and broader than other tarns and its beak lighter and narrower.

“The racing tarn, interestingly, is an extremely light bird; two men can lift one; even its beak is norrower and lighter than the beak of a common tarn or war tarn; its wings are commonly broader and shorter than those of other tarns, permitting a swifter take off and providing a capacity for extremely abrupt turns and shifts in flight; they cannot carry a great deal of weight and the riders, as might be expected, are small men, usually of low caste, pugnacious and aggressive”. - Assassin of Gor, page 144

TIBIT: a small, thin-legged bird that lives on tiny mollusks found on the shores of Thassa.

“I heard the cry of sea birds, broad-winged gulls and the small, stick-legged tibits, pecking in the sand for tiny mollusks”. - Hunters of Gor, page 247

Tufted Fisher: a water bird that inhabits the rivers of the rainforests inland of Schendi.

“Along the river, of course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders”. - Explorers of Gor, page 311

TUMIT: large flightless bird about the size of an ostrich having a long hooked beak; carnivorous.

“I saw one of the tumits, a large, flightless bid whose hooked beak, as long as my forearm, attested only too clearly to its gustatory habits”. - Nomads of Gor, page 2

Umbrella Bird: bird that lives in the lower canopies of rainforest near Schendi.

“In the lower portion of the canopies, too, can be found heavier birds, such as the ivory-billed woodpecker and the umbrella bird” - Explorers of Gor, page 311

Ushindi Fisher: long-legged, wading bird near the Schendi; long, white, curling feathers used for headdresses.

“His head was surmounted by an elaborate headdress, formed largely from the long, white, curling feathers of the Ushindi fisher, a long-legged, wading bird”. - Explorers of Gor, page 236

Veminium Bird: a bird with a beautiful song not otherwise described.

“Perhaps in one of these times, due to no fault of Mistress he was charmed by her voice, as by the songs of the veminium bird.” - Magicians of Gor, page 363

Vulo: a tawny-colored poultry bird similar to a pigeon that also exists in the wild; used for meat and eggs.

“She was a peasant, barefoot, her garment little more than coarse sacking. She had been carrying a wicker basket containing vulos, domesticated pigeons raised for eggs and meat”. - Nomads of Gor, page 1

Wader, Ring-Necked: a variety of water birds that inhabits the rivers of the rainforests inland of Schendi.

"Along the river, of course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders”. - Explorers of Gor, page 311

Wader, Yellow-Legged: a variety of water birds that inhabits the rivers of the rainforests inland of Schendi.

“Along the river, of course, many other species of birds may be found, such as jungle gants, tufted fishers and ring-necked and yellow-legged waders”. - Explorers of Gor, page 311

Woodpecker, Ivory-Billed: bird found in the lower canopies of the rainforests near Schendi

“In the lower portion of the canopies, too, can be found heavier birds, such as the ivory-billed woodpecker and the umbrella bird”. - Explorers of Gor, page 311

ZAD: a large broad-winged black and white bird with a long, narrow, yellowish, hooked beak found in the Tahari; they scavenge on carrion.

“I heard, a short time later, wings, the alighting of one or more large birds. Such birds, broad-winged, black and white, from afar, follow the marches to Klima; their beaks, yellowish, narrow, are long and slightly hooked at the end, useful for probing and tearing. The birds scattered, squawking, as a Kaiila sped past. The birds are called zads”. - Tribesmen of Gor, page 232

ZAD, Jungle: a less aggressive cousin of the Tahari zad; small, yellow-winged, scavenging birds with long, yellowish, slightly curved beaks; found in the rainforest inland of Schendi.

“One was attacked even by zads, clinging to it and tearing at it with their long, yellowish, slightly curved beaks. These were jungle zads. They are less to be feared than desert zads, I believe, being less aggressive. They do, however, share one ugly habit with the desert zad, that of tearing out the eyes of weakened victims. That serves as a practical guarantee that the victim, usually an animal, will die”. - Explorers of Gor, page 415

Zadit: a small, tawny-feathered, sharp- billed bird of the Tahari. It is insectivorous, feeding on sand flies and other similar insects. They often land on kaiila and spend long periods hunting the sand flies that infest the host animal.

“The zadit is a small, tawny-feathered, sharp-billed bird. It feeds on insects. When sand flies and other insects, emergent after rains, infest kaiila, they frequently alight on the animals, and remain on them for hours, hunting insects”. Tribesmen of Gor, page 152

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