TnF: Regal Scythefowl(S)

"Her hair is golden like the ever gleaming sun that rises from the summits of the mountains, and her eyes as blue and beautiful as the magnificent crest feathers of the Regal Scythecock, that sings his haunting love songs on the slopes of the tall western mountains" 
- Famous romance writer Edgar Lewis Ambernash describing the love of his youth, lady Clara Faulkner.

"Clade: Scythebirds (Therizinosauroidea) 
Family:Scythefowl(Meganychornithidae)
Scientific name: Meganychornis pavocaudatus
Area of Occurence: Restricted to a diminute stretch of montane rainforest at the slopes of Mt. Excelsior, on the southern territories of the Nation of Newark.  
Diet: Mostly herbivorous, will eat insects and honey on occasion tough. 
Size: Females typically reach 4.5m long and about 3 meters tall, males are far larger, reaching over 5m long and over 4.5 meters tall.   

 Few animals have captivated the human mind so much as the Regal Scythecock, these large, colorfull creatures have been a source of inspiration for writers and poets ever since humans first came to Appalachia, with its magnificent iridescent blue feathers and exquisite looking "Tail fan" which is actually made of covert feathers from the back rather than the tail propper. 
 
 These are imposing creatures, standing at over 4 meters tall and weighing nearly a metric ton, Scythefowl are one ov the very few creatures that can boast that they have no natural predators, and if their size isn't intimidating enough, their long, sharp claws are more than sufficient to pass the message trough. Unfortunately, the Scythefowl has suffered a lot from another kind of predator, humans have hunted them from Millenia, be it for their tender, soft meat or their blue tongues (which are considered a delicacy in some parts of Appalachia) or be it for the male's iridescent blue feathers which addorn the dresses and hats of many upper class ladies continent wide. 
 
 In the wild, the Scythecock didn't have to worry about predators and could afford to evolve their iridescent feathers and extravagant tail fans that make that are irresistible to the females, but make them such an eyesore against the green backdrop of the rainforest. That made them easy targets for human hunters and poachers, which steadily hunted these creatures, once common troughout the forests east of the appalachians, to near extinction, to the point that today they might very likely be Appalachia and maybe even one of the world's most endangered animals, with less than 38 individuals remaining on a secluded stretch of rainforest on the inacessible slopes of Mt.Excelsior, on the country of Newark.  

 Efforts have been made for their conservation and hunting the regal Scythefowl is now outlawed, however, there's always the constant threat of poachers and illegal hunters which makes this far from an easy task. There's also the fact that the habitat these creatures live in is amongst the most inacessible places for humans in the entire world, with high, steep slopes and thick, vine covered rainforests full of dense thickets and thorny bushes make the task of locating and monitoring the remaining individuals a living hell, however, once you reach there its really not hard to spot the Scythefowl, as they sing in deep, haunting  tones that can be heard from kilometers wide and resemble the sound of a Tuba. Most of their habits in the wild are a mystery, which mainly stems from how hard it is to get where they live and how rare they've become, we now need to learn how to protect these bizarre but amazing animals if we want to know more about them." 

-From the Field Guide of Appalachian Wildlife by Lilian P.Sturmvögel