Snow Harpy

A Snow Harpy is a Humanoid-like bird with glittering white feathers and cyan underwings. They love cold environments, but like other Harpies, are hard to actually spot, especially due to their white feathers. They are most likely to be spotted while flying, but they only fly low during snowstorms. Snow Harpies have some famous lore tied to them. According to the lore, when travellers become hopelessly lost, a Snow Harpy will show up. Following this Snow Harpy would lead the lost traveller to a town. While these sound like tales in line with a lot of pirate tales involving ghosts, there's consistency to this lore, which is why it is being considered theoretical. On the other hand, Snow Harpies also show up when one is about to pass away of hypothermia. It is a much more pleasant death, though it requires suffering from nasty frostbites prior to the event occurring. Snow Harpies seem to have sympathy for such suffering and embrace the dying traveller with their wings and carry them off to the afterlife. Apparently, on occasion, a Snow Harpy may even spare their life and carry them to their community instead of the afterlife. However, once brought into a Snow Harpy's community, you are there for the remainder of your life. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if you don't have ties to many people. However, to others, you will have vanished in a snowstorm, never to return. Snow Harpy communities are near-impossible to discover as they're always beyond extreme blizzards and typically found under the thick layer of snow these blizzards create. However, Snow Harpy communities are rather cozy. Temperatures are near zero making conditions much more pleasant. Anyone who enters the community who is not a Snow Harpy gets a nice feather jacket to keep them warm.

Appearance

Snow Harpies appear pretty friendly over all, although their expressions seem cold outside the community. They have light blue hair-like feathers. Ears are as pointy as Common Harpies, but are more pale. They still have the thin feathers for enhanced hearing, although they may decorate their ears with a single cyan feather that they may have shed. Research suggests this ties to some sort of tradition. Their necks are feathery, unlike the Common Harpy. The feathers cover their shoulders as well, spreading right to their wings. Feathers are a sparkly white, the underwings are cyan. Their chests are bare with white feathers going across the centre of their chest. Their chests are above average or even large, which appears to be tied to adaptation and the liquid storage of foods. They don't have the same curves as a Common Harpy, mostly due to having a protective layer of fat to enhance their cold resistance. They have wide hips with thick white feathers starting at the hips and running down to mid-ankle, slightly lower than Common Harpies. Their tail feathers are longer than Common Harpies and they are typically Cyan. Their talon sizes are medium, although sometimes small.

Behaviour

Within the community, Snow Harpies are very humble and friendly. While their social skills are average and they don't start conversations as often as the Common Harpy, they tend to talk for decent amounts of time. They are very kind to those they bring into the community. There are only two known Snow Harpy communities, but they are good sizes and house the majority of the Snow Harpy population. Behaviour changes somewhat during breeding season, as Snow Harpies will take extra interest in males of any species within the arctic region. Due to a lower number of ideal candidates, Snow Harpies are not as active with breeding season as the Common Harpy. Their wings are typically sparkly because of frost and ice crystals on the feathers. This is also tied to their happiness. Snow Harpies are particularly proud of their feathers, that is why they often use the first two tail feathers they shed as accessories for their hair. This is also why they love frost and ice crystals on their wings. They consider the sparkles a factor in attractiveness. Snow Harpies have larger chests than Common Harpies mainly because their bodies store excess food in a liquid digested form. This is mainly because food can become scarce in the arctic and this is a form of adaptation that differs from the fat method many mammals would use. This allows them to feed their family rather than just themselves when there's a food shortage.

Climate

Snow Harpies love and thrive in cold climates. Blizzards and ice crystals are their most favourite conditions to be part of. While most Snow Harpies are Diurnal, nights where ice crystals are occurring can bring Snow Harpies out. This is the best chance to spot one in the arctic if the winds are calm and the moon is at least 60% lit. Snow Harpies are okay in mild temperatures, but they grow sad when the ice crystals or frost on their wings melt, so they don't stay in them for long. Although they love having dew on their wings and this also makes them joyful, in these cases Snow Harpies will enjoy the mind environment.

Reproduction

Snow Harpies have similar patterns to Common Harpies in terms of reproduction, but due to their range, which is mainly the arctic and Northern mountains, there are less candidates. While this may increase rivalry in most species, this just makes Snow Harpies more easygoing and less pressured to find a partner. This doesn't mean they will not take advantage of an opportunity though. When they find a male of any species, they will snatch them and bring them back to their nest and reproduce. Like Common Harpies, Snow Harpies have dominant genes, so chances are, their offspring will be Snow Harpies. Snow Harpies lay 1 to 4 eggs, however, if they mate successfully multiple times within the early stage of making their eggs, they can multiply this. It takes about 36 hours for eggs to enter their primary stage of formation. After this it's a two week process for creating the eggs, then one week of caring for them before they hatch. Snow Harpies tend to mate for life, especially due to the scarcity of ideal male candidates in the arctic. This is also why males brought into the community are not allowed to leave. Offspring take 8 to 10 months to nurture, and the mother may also choose to nurture her mate as thanks. Snow Harpies breast feed their children during nurturing and breastfeed family if food becomes scarce. From 10 months up to the five year mark, they're raised. It isn't uncommon for a family to have multiple generations being raised at the same time.