Medena Eagle

The Medena Eagle is a species of raptorial bird, native to the forested areas of the province of Medena in southern Onthunkan. Their overall body feathers range from a dark brown to light brown in colour. With pure white feathers on the edge of the wings. The beak of this bird is yellow with a sharp hook on the end for a better grip on prey. They’re eye sight is amazing even compared to other eagles. Able to spot a mouse from a large distance away. They are about 27.6 inch’s in length, and weigh 8.4 pounds. They are also the only major predatory bird native to the Razuni.

Diet
Its diet is mostly made up of small mammals and reptiles native to the region. A particular favourite species they like to prey on simply due to its abundance, is the Maldeqem field mouse. A small golden coloured mouse famous for their expansive diet and destruction of local crops. Their hunting strategy is very similar to the peregrine falcon. Fly over a given territory, usually open fields or grassland. The eagle will often leave the safety of the forests to hunt. Once the prey is spotted it will immediately swoop down at high speeds and simply pluck the target off the ground with its curled talons. These sharp talons will usually kill the prey almost instantly after being caught. Afterwards they will bring their catch back to their nest.

Behaviour
being naturally solitary animals. They generally make their nests in isolated pockets of the Medenian forests. Said nests have to be far from other eagles nests, as they are territorial and or aggressive to other eagles, unless it’s the mating season. Nests are made out of whatever natural materials the eagle can get it’s hands on. Stick, leaves and other forest debris. These can be either on the ends of tall trees or in dug out chambers within the trees.

The eagles mating season starts in early autumn. Make eagles will offer gifts to the female in order to win their favour. Males who provide the most gifts will be allowed to mate with the female. Said gifts are primarily in the form of food, although small trinkets have also been shown to be given. Afterwards the female will lay between 3 to 4 eggs. From which she will raise until the chicks are old enough to hunt on their own, Abandoning their birth nest and the mother. Males will rarely stay around the nest after the eggs have hatched. It used to be a practise to consume the eggs of the eagle by the rich Irisnian upper class. However, this practise has now since been banned within modern Medena.

History
The eagle was first sighted by the ancient people of the bell nation however, they payed the bird no mind. It wasn’t until the first travellers, who would later develop into the first Medenians, would the bird finally be noticed. They remarked on its majestic look and how it acted as an unofficial pest control service for the Maldeqem rats who would plague their settlements and fields. It’s for the reason that the bird was given high praise in the developing group, and when the first Medena republic was founded. A Medena eagle was placed on the centre of their new flag. Some locals even delved into the art of taking these birds. Both as messengers and as pets.

For a while all was good until the irisnia revolt. The revolt saw that the Arianrhood family of the recently founded mega city of Eldia, take control of large parts of the Razuni including Medena. Forming a new nation of Irisnia. It didn’t take long for the eagle to suffer. Massive build projects to expand the city of Eldia into previously Medenian territory. Saw the massive destruction of woodlands and forests across the province for both lumber and space. The destruction of their forests, plus the hunting of them by Irisnian nobles and the consumption of their eggs, saw a massive decline of their numbers in just a few short years. This event nearly brought the species to the brink of extinction.

The reduction in their numbers also indirectly left nothing to hunt the field mouse. With no predators their numbers practically exploded over night. This wrecked havoc on Maldeqem food production. With the mice removing or consuming vast amounts of the harvest every year. This madness didn’t end until the dissolution of Irisnia, and the later reintegration of the Medena region back into the Razuni.

Their is currently a project within the Razuni to eventually rebuild the destroyed forests of the province. In hopes it would eventually bring the eagles back to more suitable population. Bans against the hunting of the birds were put into place. With vast extermination campaign waged against the ever expanding field mouse. Slowly the Eagles managed to recover some of their lost numbers however, it’s important to mention their current day population is still smaller than what their previous size was. Which leaves this species’s of birds still on the endangered list.