Crowned Stoneshredder

Grassland

Mountain

Peck

Talon

Crowned stoneshredders are majestically imposing birds equivalent in size to the mighty roc, reaching wingspans recorded at over twenty feet. These avian giants take their name from the colorful plume of feathers atop their skulls as well as their diamond-hard beaks, which they use to peck holes in cliffs and mountain sides. Crowned stoneshredders peck for three reasons; to search for food, to build suitable nests, and to attract mates. The birds feed on the mammals knocked loose by their pecking, including smaller prey like foxes to larger meals such as bears or mountain goats. The stoneshredders are rarely a problem for lowland humanoid creatures or their settlements, though the birds have been known to cause landslides from time to time  that pose great risk to any unfortunate enough to be in proximity to the impact area. 

Crowned stoneshredders mate for life and give birth to one chick at a time, caring for it to adolescence before shooing it from the nest and eventually laying another egg. Younger stoneshredders are solitary creatures, but mature birds are never far from their mate. 

Crowned Stoneshredder

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