Akkigavou

(ahks-I-gah-voo)

Biological Information

Sz: 51-90 cm. | 20-35”
Wt: 5 kg. | 11 lbs.
Loc: Pale Shores
Tpt: Social
Prd: Devtalnu
Var: Superficial Colour

References

Akkigavou are rarely encountered by avocs in the present day, as the birds do not hunt river-based fish and subsequently are not seen by fishers. Some centuries ago, the birds were hunted for their long tail feathers of which the sturdy shafts were the main target.¹

It is not known if the birds became flightless at any point, but rather than wings they now have flippers to aid in swimming that are useless for flight. Their name reflects this, coming from the Aevot words “akkin” and “figi” meaning non and flight. Along with devtalnu—their main predators—the species keeps sea-dwelling fish from overpopulating.²

Diminutive and flightless birds with flippers instead of wings, and mouths that open relatively wide, akkigavou can be startling at first glance. During the warm season, the birds venture inland to climb trees with their feet alone with strong knees and flexible ankles in search of insects. When the seas are safe in the warm season, and throughout the cold season they dive for fish.² Akkigavou hunt and roost in large packs, though they are more dispersed if roosting in trees. Eggs are laid on the shore during the cold season and hatch just before devtalnu emerge from hibernation at the earliest warming.²

Akkigavou are found all across Pale Shores, with various regional and seasonal molts seen that likely have no purpose other than aesthetic divergence across the species over time.² They live along the shores, roosting on the sandy beaches of seas themselves in the cold season, and in the trees of the nearby forests and glades in the warmer season.²