Ala culta

Ala culta is a future species of avian dinosaur and is the only one known to develop civilization.

DESCRIPTION

Ala culta is moderate among birds in terms of size. The exact beak shape varies among populations, but they are all proportionally small with a thick triangular shape. They have 25 remiges on each wing, consisting of 10 primaries, 10 secondaries and 5 tertials. Unlike most perching birds, they have 10 rectrices on their tails. They have little to no feathers on their shins, and some races even have featherless thighs. The species has a very diverse genetic pool, with a great variety of patches, stripes, spots and colours in their plumage among billions of its specimens over the planet.

ECOLOGY

Ala culta is omnivorous, known to eat plants including grains, nuts, leaves and many types of fruit, alongside animals including fish, mammals, and other saurians. Specific diets vary depending on the population. They can eat up to 20% their body mass, which would aid in them surviving harsh environments and travelling through arid habitats. They live mostly in forests of many densities, but many populations also live in savannahs, deserts and even tundras.

HISTORY

Ala culta is believed to have evolved from a member of the genus Corvus, inheriting the high intelligence alongside the superior ability of tool-making from their common ancestor that lived 15 million years ago. The genus originated in Australia around 5 million years ago, but where the transition between from primitive populations to the direct ancestor of all the specimens occured is controversial. Around 10000 years ago, they began to rapidly spread throughout the globe, to Indochina in 5000 years, Tibet in 7500 years, Beringia and the Mediterranian in 8000 years, Madagascar and Greenland in 9000 year, and finally Patagonia in 10000 years.

INTELLIGENCE

Ala culta is the only bird known to develop civilization. Taking as much as a year to reach maturity means that growing individuals are constantly vulnerable to predators. To make up for this vulnerablility, they are often seen gathering in the thousands on a single tree, giving the juveniles time to learn. In terms of tools, the species evolved to both make and use tools with mouths, hands and feet. Their mouths are commonly used in shaping and sharpening the edge of small tools, as well as wearing helmets to create impact force in a charge. Their hands are usually used for stretching elastic tools such as bands and strings by pulling with the mouth and one of the limbs and using the hand to bend from a point in the middle. Their feet bear the weight of the entire body, and are therefore used to hold objects on the ground; they are often armed with weapons in aerial battle, as they are the most resistant distal end of the body. Artificial wings are used to aid in flying.

LOCOMOTION

Ala culta is capable of moving in air, on land, and occasionally underwater. Their forelimbs provide support for their wings, which are short and round, the ideal shape for agility that helps them fly through areas full of obstacles like forests with ease. Powerful arms drive them through the air at speeds of up to 25 m/s, but that would still make them easy to be caught up by falcons when in the open air. Their hindlimbs are exceptionally strong, having bones up to 80 mm in circumference, which is seen as an adaption to their larger size and more land-based locomotion. Long legs up to 50% their body length and flat, straighter claws allow them to effortlessly walk on land and reach speeds of 10 m/s in a sprint.

STATS

Ala culta is by far the largest member of Passeriformes ever known, averaging 2.5 kg in mass for an average adult. Many large specimens have reached weights of almost 4 kg in the long history of these birds, leading to a maximum mass estimation of 4 kg. The considerable size they carry make them safe from the most aerial predators.

Measurement	Record
Length (Rostrum to rectrices)	100 cm
Length (Rostrum to pygostyle)	64 cm
Width (Within longest primaries)	160 cm
Width (Within distal phalanges)	80 cm
Height (Ground to head)	64 cm
Height (Ground to sacrum)	40 cm
Cranium (Rostrum to occipital)	20 cm
Mandible (Rostrum to angular)	16 cm