Delibird


    Saturnalia julius


    <u>Overview</u>


    Delibird are known as compassionate healers, guides, and messengers. A variety of arctic peoples use tame delibird to communicate between tribes separated by inhospitable tundras or frozen seas. Their playful demeanor and colorful appearance led to them being adopted as messengers of The Northern Saint by the Church of Life. Although the Church has phased out delibird’s use as sacred messengers following recent discoveries, the birds remain a worldwide symbol of winter, gift giving, and holiday celebrations.


    The species’ gregarious nature and lackluster combat ability make them a poor choice for trainers on the island challenge.


    <u>Physiology</u>


    Delibird are classified as dual ice- and flying-type pokémon.


    A thick coat of short red feathers covers most of delibird’s body. A “beard” of fluffy white feathers extends below delibird’s face. Two crests of very long white feathers extend above the eyes like eyebrows. Delibird’s beak is covered in white and red stripes. While not as big as toucannon, the beak of an adult is big enough to store at least two wishiwashi. The size and shape of the Alolan delibird’s beak is not seen in other species and is believed to come from interbreeding with toucannon. Delibird have yellow webbed feet.


    While their wings are proportionally small, delibird can control their descent and maintain altitude to a degree. Flight is primarily used to get down from their nest to the water or to make a particularly powerful jump when scaling cliffs. Alternatively, delibird can get airborne for mid-distance low-altitude flights with a running start. Delibird are primarily aquatic and can dive up to three hundred feet.


    Delibird are the only known bird with a prehensile tail. This is used to wrap up berries, fish, and interesting objects while exploring or returning to the nest. The tail of Alolan delibird is smaller than their arctic counterparts, but is still large enough to wrap up a wishiwashi or a few berries.


    Adults grow to about three feet in height and typically weigh seven pounds. They have a life expectancy of six years in the wild or ten in captivity.


    <u>Behavior</u>


    Delibird are gregarious and live in carols of fifteen to fifty birds. However, they hunt alone. Most of delibird’s diet is made up of fish and invertebrates, including small water- and bug-type pokémon. They hunt by either flying just above the surface until they see prey or by diving and chasing prey underwater. Hunting takes up most of a delibird’s waking hours. The remainder is spent socializing with other birds and exploring their surroundings.


    Even by bird standards delibird are curious. They are prone to making and playing games with other delibird and even other species, going onto land to try new berries, and using seashells and stones as toys. Their curiosity and gregarious nature leads them to approach humans and pokémon and exchange gifts or attempt to play. When pokémon are starving, delibird will occasionally share some of their catch with them. Sometimes they will even feed prey species. This habit combined with the relatively low nutritional value of delibird leads to the birds having almost no regular predators.


    In more desolate and remote environments delibird’s toys take on a more sinister note. The birds often scavenge the corpses of dead explorers for new trinkets to play with. Relatives of perished loved ones often go out into the area to at least trade some of the deceased’s possessions for shinier toys.


    Pairs and unpaired subadults sometimes move between carols on separate islands. Delibird can determine their location using Earth’s magnetic field and use this information to return to places they have been before.


    <u>Husbandry</u>


    Delibird captivity is best handled by well-resourced stationary individuals able to raise at least ten delibird at once. When held alone or in very small groups delibird grow stressed and begin to develop health problems. Climate control is also important to delibird and makes it very difficult to care for them while on the trails of Alola. Glacier balls help mitigate the problem, but delibird dislike pokéballs and will not tolerate even cooling balls for more than an hour or two a day. Delibird should be kept in quarters that are sixty degrees or cooler. Access to cold pools in room temperature areas can also satisfy the bird.


    If a trainer wants to raise a single delibird than it is recommended to keep other birds on the team. At least three hours a day should be spent either directly playing with the delibird or being present while other birds play with the pokémon. Enrichment objects should be purchased frequently enough that the pokémon never grows bored with all of their toys at once. The pokémon will almost always want to sleep in their trainer’s bed. Mirrors make for good enrichment items that also have a calming effect on delibird held as individuals. Ditto are the best teammates for alleviating social stress.


    About 80% of delibird’s diet should be made up of fish. Most fish are eaten whole, but individual birds may prefer certain species cut down to smaller sizes. The remaining 20% should be made up of insect mixes, shrimp, and crabs. Zooplankton mixes, while somewhat expensive, also work. Many large delibird breeding facilities keep zooplankton and crabs living in the diving pond for enrichment purposes. Berries make for good treats but should not be a routine part of the bird’s diet. Delibird should be offered a little bit more than they will eat. Only birds with a history of starvation will regularly overeat. Drinking water is unnecessary but occasionally used for either proper drinks or as a toy.


    Climbing structures and water at least seven feet deep should be provided whenever possible. Most large pokémon centers have bunk beds and pools which can satisfy both needs. Delibird should be exposed to salt water at least once every two weeks to keep their salt glands functional. If this is not possible small amounts of salt should be added to their drinking water or baths.


    Delibird can be housebroken, although the process usually takes several weeks. It is easier if another housebroken bird is already on the team. Toucannon tend to be bad influences on delibird and make housebreaking nearly impossible.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Captive delibird held in large carols are often used as messengers to deliver small packages and letters between cities and islands. In the winter they are often taken to malls. Their bright colors, curiosity, and docility make them popular with children.


    <u>Illness</u>


    Delibird are frequent carriers of avian influenza. While the disease is relatively benign in delibird it can spread and do serious damage to other teammates. Vaccination is strongly encouraged. Bumblefoot is a more common problem than avian influenza in stationary carols. The disease manifests as sores on the bottom of delibird’s feet. The disease is caused by surfaces rougher or smoother than those found in nature. The best remedy for bumblefoot is preventive management: slightly rough surfaces should replace very rough and very smooth ones. This better replicates their natural cliff homes.


    Angel wing is the most common health problem among fledging delibird. Sometimes feathers come in before the wing has fully developed. The weight of the feathers can cause permanent damage to the delibird’s wing. Fledglings should be routinely inspected and slings should be provided as necessary.


    Delibird generally do everything in their power to mask their injuries and keep acting as if nothing is wrong. By the time any symptoms are visible to the trainer the problem is already serious and should be treated by a professional as soon as possible.


    When a delibird living in a stationary carol develops a contagious disease or is about to be introduced to a carol or reintroduced after exposure to other birds, they must be quarantined. The quarantine process is unpleasant for delibird as they must be alone for some time. Taking multiple delibird on trips can at least allow them to be quarantined together. Otherwise mirrors or exposure to live or recorded delibird sounds can help calm the isolated bird. Toys, climbing structures, and a pool deep enough to swim in should be in the quarantine room.


    <u>Evolution</u>


    Juvenile delibird have nearly identical morphology to adults.


    <u>Battle</u>


    Delibird shows aggression by puffing up their feathers and making noise. If neither side backs dow,n delibird employ bites, pecks, or weak ice attacks. Many baseline animals can beat delibird in a fight. As such only delibird deliberately trained to battle have any skill at all. Outside of scripted holiday specials no professional trainer has ever been seen using a delibird.


    Delibird have some use on the island challenge as arena controllers with spikes and icy wind. By the time the second island ends delibird will start to become less useful. Trainers raising a delibird should do so in spite of its power and not because of it.


    <u>Acquisition</u>


    Delibird can be found in in the cool waters around Mt. Lanakila and Kala’e Bay. Capture is currently restricted to Melemele due to recent declines in the Ula’Ula population. Captureis prohibited more than three hundred feet from land. Birds that do not wish to be caught will sometimes make a dash to the ocean when a trainer confronts them.


    Delibird can be captured or purchased with a Class IV license.


    The birds can be purchased from established carols on Melemele, Akala, and Ula’Ula. Adoption opportunities are rare as injured or abandoned delibird tend to be donated to privately owned carols.


    <u>Breeding</u>


    While once popular with the Church of Life, delibird have been quietly abandoned as an official symbol after research found that roughly half of delibird are accidentally gay. The only way to determine the sex of a delibird is through DNA testing or minor surgery. Apparently delibird also cannot reliably determine the sex of other birds.


    Delibird mate for life. Couples find a small tunnel in a cave or in a cliff face and set up their nest there. In anticipation of the summer breeding season all delibird undergo a full molt and are temporarily flightless and featherless. It is illegal to capture or otherwise disturb them during this time. Delibird’s summer plumage is more vibrant than their winter coloration, which is somewhat ironic given their cultural associations. The linkage of delibird and winter is because Europeans outside of Scandanavia only saw delibird when they migrated south to avoid the bitter cold of the arctic.


    Fertile couples lay a single egg every season. Infertile couples stay together even after realizing their mistake but tend to help fertile couples in guarding their eggs and gathering food. The eggs are viciously guarded from all interlopers. This season is when delibird are most aggressive to outsiders. Capture is legal but discouraged in early May. Trainers should only enter Seaward Cave and the coastal caves of Lanakila during these weeks if they are prepared to be swarmed by angry birds. Eggs take forty days to hatch and forty days to fledge. Babies are typically abandoned by their parents thirty to sixty days after hatching.


    Captive delibird breeding requires the provision of at least 1, and ideally 1.5, nest boxes per pairs. If at all possible, an even number of delibird should be owned. Unpaired birds tend to become very aggressive up to the point of sabotaging other nests and destroying eggs. Incubation of eggs and hand raising of chicks is possible and the resulting pokémon tend to acclimate well to private carols, but not the wild. Delibird reared by their parents do adjust well to the wild and these chicks play a major role in restoring the Ula’ula population.


    <u>Relatives</u>


    Delibird species can be sorted into four species.


    The Alolan delibird is the only tropical species. It is not presently understood when and how delibird arrived on the islands. They were already present when Japanese settlers arrived and, according to Alolan folklore, they were present when the wayfarers arrived as well. Temperate delibird species do not migrate far enough to reach Alola and polar delibird would die from overheating well before reaching the mid-Pacific. To help cope with their warm environment delibird have relatively large wings and tails. They spend more time swimming than the non-polar subspecies as the waters they inhabit are typically cooler than the air.


    Temperate delibird (Saturnalia sacerdotes) live year-round in the mid-latitudes of the North Atlantic. Carols are typically based out of an area infused with ice-energy or directly cooled by other pokémon. Members swim away from the base during the day to catch food and then return by sundown. Some temperate subspecies have barely functional salt glands due to swimming almost exclusively in glacial meltwater or underground rivers.


    There are two subspecies of polar delibird (Saturnalia verumquod), one in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic. The Atlantic population tends to spend the summer in Iceland, Greenland, and other northern islands. They migrate as far south as Africa during the winter. Both polar delibird subspecies spend almost all of their lives alone at sea, only returning to land and their mates for a few months every summer. The Pacific delibird are less migratory with summer breeding occurring in Kamatchka and Alaska and winter migration bringing birds to Japan and Oregon. Some interbreeding with temperate subspecies has been reported.


    The Himalayan delibird (Saturnalia paganus) is perhaps the strangest species, in no small part because they live hundreds of miles inland and are barely able to swim. They are the largest species and have the most developed wings. Himalyan delibird take shelter on the steep cliffs of crevasses. While they do sometimes break into frozen or temporarily thawed lakes to fish, these delibird primarily eat small non-pokémon mammals, eggs, and plants. The pokémon are considered sacred wardens of the mountains and capture or export is strictly prohibited. The few captive specimens were injured or otherwise unable to survive in the wild. They are held in the Kathmandu Zoo on loan from the Nepalese government.