Dadamerah

"Beware young sailor, the ocean isn’t the only danger out there. Always keep an eye to the sky or you may be taken away to never be seen again."

A sailor’s reminder to the crow’s nest lookout, warning them of the danger lurking in the sky.

Such as the Dadamerah: a bird-like creature that nests on rock cliffs near the sea. They like to feed on aquatic creatures, being mostly fish. They get their name from the vibrant red chest of the males, who use it as a way to charm females in their mating rituals.

When a male Dadamerah grows into adulthood, they will participate in a ceremony to find their other half. Such rituals happen only once in their life time which is why they will go to extreme lengths to appeal to the females’ eyes.

They would do so by finding prey that they would then gobble down in their chest area. Being an important part of the ritual, the male would go for prey that would normally be a challenge to face. Some even going as far as taking more than one prey at a time. Such actions could cause grave injuries to them, even death. However, such lengths are necessary to increase their chances in being chosen.

A male would have until sunset to bring back their offering to the meeting area. Once the ritual began, the males would open their wings wide, inflate their chest, showing the shadow of the captured prey struggling for dear life, and wait for the female to decide.

The female would go to the males and inspect them and their chest. Looking at their plumage vibrance, the size of the prey and its strength. Judging if the male’s hunting abilities and their strength can provide for the needs of her and her future clutch. Once the female has decided on a mate, she would offer one of her feathers as tribute.

If the male accepts, both will fly away and find an empty nest for them to live in. The male will then release the prey within and offer it to his mate to be. The female will then devour the prey to then mate with her other half.