Suncrest's Bestiary: Stelze

[thelisan]

Appearance
Stelze are tall, feathered reptilian raptors whose scales are drab, mottled shades of tan, but whose plumage is often very vibrant. Notably, unlike many birds, female stelze are often no less colorful than males. The scales on their long legs shift in hue toward dark brown below the knee, a shade reminiscent of the mangroves that dot their native marshlands. They have long, slender snouts with sharp teeth.

Wild adult stelze are fully the height of a man at the shoulder, with a neck about a meter long, and they have stubby wings. These wings are useless for flight, but are used in mating and threat displays.

Domesticated stelze are a little shorter and stockier than their wild kin. Their wings are also thickened at the base; they still use them comfortably for their displays, but this allows them to also better support saddles, packs, and the like.

Stelze in profile, artist's depiction. Provided by naturalist Endson Lawrence.

Lifespan
Wild stelze can potentially reach 30-40 years of age, but do not often make it that long, due predominantly to the parasites and diseases that are common in the wetlands.

Domesticated stelze have been bred for resilience and longevity, and when well cared-for they have been known to reach 70 years. Their working lifespans vary, but can generally be expected to be capable of working until about 40, though some remain healthy enough for light riding duties until 50.

Both wild and domestic stelze reach maturity at approximately six years.


Habitat
Wild stelze are most commonly found in wetlands, especially Drakefen. They can be found in other wet environs, such as along rivers and lakes; rarely will you ever find stelze where you cannot find fish.

Behavior
Stelze tend to live primarily as a family unit consisting of two parents and any young that are not ready to live on their own. These families will sometimes meet and interact peacefully, under rare circumstances even watching over each others' young. However, when stelze hunt, they dislike competition, and will harass any other fisher that dares get close, whether birds, beasts, or humans. Curiously, they seem to recognize fishing rods and nets, and usually ignore people without those. They are not overly aggressive, preferring to spread their wings, scream at the offender, and should they not get the message, give brisk pursuit. If at any point in this process the offender turns to leave, the stelze is satisfied and will not feel the need to pursue further.

Domesticated stelze are less territorial when well-fed, and function as an extended form of their wild familial units. This is believed to be because of their imprinting; a hatchling stelze will imprint on most of the animals they see in the first days of their life. By breeding and raising them in captivity among other stelze and other animals, they accept a wider family.

Diet
All stelze are omnivorous, and require both meat and fruit or vegetable nutrition. In the wild, their favored meat by far is fish, which they will simply pluck out of the water with a bite. Plant-based foods are a simple matter of opportunism; if it's available, they'll eat it. This does lead to problems, especially with tearberries. These berries are readily available in abundance, and are a favorite of all stelze, but wild bushes often house parasites that remain the wild stelze's greatest threat.

Domesticated stelze will eat a wider range of meat, but still have a marked preference for fish. It is recommended that you indulge this preference, as it seems to lead to better health and better mood.


Human Interaction
Stelze have been domesticated for centuries now, in an arrangement that has been exceptionally beneficial to both sides. Humans get reliable, docile workers and mounts, and stelze have become healthier, stronger, hardier. Perhaps that goes without saying; it would be cruelty beyond reason to breed something to make its health worse.

It is a rare farm indeed that's run without stelze to plow the fields, pull the carts, or to raise for eggs, and most frequent travelers favor stelze for their manageability and temperament.