Jahcekri

Heron-like bird species known for nesting in volcanic caverns and its ability to wade in and withstand extreme temperature mud and water. Also known as "Rock Weavers."

Basics
Its beak, feet, and legs are actually outgrowths of natural ceramics with large air gaps, allowing it to survive temperatures that would otherwise quickly boil most things alive. Similarly, its tendons are strips of its own skin and feathers that grow at a prodigious pace, then dying out close to the attachment points at various junctures, giving the impression that their legs are baskets. They live off commensal bacterial and fungal colonies in the mud, which they use their beak to strain out and cool before consuming. To avoid continual overheating of its brain, its skull and respiratory system is located well above its beak and GI tract (e.g. torso/head is on a separate section from its throat and abdomen), however beak tendons are located at the skull, again giving off the appearance of woven baskets. The species typically carries multi-faceted hues from the mineral build-up within their plumage and in their limbs (due to excretion). During grooming, removal of volcanic mud post-feeding is often mistaken for guano. Due to diet and form of growth, they only excrete guano if they manage to consume larger meals (aka, opportunistic feeders) on rare occasions. This guano is more reminiscent of birds of prey (e.g. undigested remains) as their digestive tracts are incapable of complete digestion of such items.The rapid growth of their beak and limbs also allow them to burrow into volcanic rock faces (albeit slowly), and their extremely thin forms allow them to fit into small passages. Seeing one on the surface often implies volcanic activity is nearby.

Its wings are a standard size with an extra set of joints for climbing around stalactites/stalagmites. Three small air sacks are also found on the lower back of its abdomen, used for storage of high buoyancy (and potentially flammable) gasses either produced by bacterium or absorbed in the body (via respiration, digestion of mud products, or via skin). Filtering into these organs provides the Jahcekri helps to reduce energy requirements for flying (especially post meal when mud can weight them down). They only completely release these gasses when they need to relieve pressure in the sacks (e.g. cramped spaces) or as a last resort when unable to flee from predators.

Awkward on the ground, this species is extremely proficient in the air of the open-air caverns it survives in. Nests are actually combinations of old plumage and strained mud, creating large colonies over time. Reasonably intelligent for birds, grooming is communal in the colonies.