Unused Bird/Flying Creature Motifs

[Supreme]

Every time I try to think of a cool bird or motif for a character I get stuck because it seems like they've all been done. Bats, hawks, falcons, ravens, doves, and on and on. (I'm speaking only of comics here, not published HERO characters.) Anyone know of any unused flying creatures? Menacing ones preferred.

[pinecone]

Every time I try to think of a cool bird or motif for a character I get stuck because it seems like they've all been done. Bats, hawks, falcons, ravens, doves, and on and on. (I'm speaking only of comics here, not published HERO characters.) Anyone know of any unused flying creatures? Menacing ones preferred.
Sooo...I'm guessing both Toucans and Puffins are not your lookin for....

[Blue Jogger]

"Aha! Prepare yourself for The Flying Squirrelly Girl!!"

I got nothing.

[Zeropoint]

I'm kind of partial to dragonflies. I suppose they've already been used, though.

Zeropoint

[Sketchpad]

How about an Osprey?

[Lightray]

Archaeopteryx.

No one really knows what it was like, so you can shoehorn any ol' power you want into that concept.

I suggest laser eyes.

[Mutant for Hire]

How about parrots?

Or maybe... the Woodpecker!

[Blue]

Yeh, I feel for ya. It got so difficult to come up wtih anything that I've maybe only done two bird types in the past five years. I've got Thrush (essentially a speedster with flight) and Sparrow (A Martial Artist).

How about an Ibis (Notable in Egyptian Hieroglyphics) or maybe a Hummingbird (probably with a "blur" effect because it's always in motion).

[bcholmes]

Kestrels. (There was one <cite>Hawk and Dove</cite> villain named Kestrel, but it's much less common than hawks).

Petrel is also an attractive name for a bird; I also think one could do something interesting with the phrase "stormy petrel".

[Doug McCrae]

Harrier
Lammergeier
Skua
Shrike (with apologies to Killer Shrike)
Carrion crow
Black swan - black=sinister, right?
Hornet
Pteradactyl
Pteranodon
Ornithocheirus - largest winged reptile evar!
Cockatrice
Pegasus
Wyvern

[Doug McCrae]

I've got ThrushHope it clears up soon.

Hyuk hyuk hyuk.

[Jhamin]

Off the top of my head, how about:

Kingfisher
Grossbeak
Grebe
Merganser
Harrier
Wren
Ospery
Warbler
Killdeer
Starling
Grackle
Junco
Swan
Magpie
Brown Thrasher
Thrush
Wax Wing
Grossbeak
Heron
Sandpiper

A word of warning, I picked these based more on how they sound rather than what they are.
Some of these are Raptors, some are wading birds, some are waterfoul. So google them before you name your martial artist after a Duck.
Of course, depending on what your character concept is, a duck may not be bad.

[Hypnotoad, the]

What about something more mythical? More legendary?

Something like "Garuda"?

Has that been used?

[Lord Liaden]

Pteratorn, Greek for "Wonder Bird." An extinct species, the largest raptor that ever lived. Built much like an eagle, but roughly six feet tall when standing upright, with a wingspan of twenty-four feet.

If you can't make a super character out of that you should turn in your decoder ring. ;)

[grymlocke]

prepare youraelf....

THE GREAT AWK !!!
EMU (Martial artist, uses his feet as weapons)
OSTRICH (speedster)
KIA
THE YELLOW-NAPE AMAZON (being a female brick from the jungles of south american, wears a yellow feather cape)
WREN (small, but mighty)
SNOWY OWL
GREAT HORNED OWL
KAKABURA (hero from down under)
ZEBRA FINCH
BLACK MASKED/FACED LOVEBIRD (cross between zorro/casanova)

[Lightray]

KAKABURA (hero from down under)
With his own theme song! :whistle:

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry, merry king of the bush is he,
Laugh, Kookaburra, Laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be.


Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gumdrops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra, Stop, Kookaburra
Leave some there for me.


Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop, Kookaburra, Stop, Kookaburra,
That's no monkey, that's me.

[Lightray]

More for Dark Champions, maybe:

Cormorant (http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/archive/2004/11/25.html)

[winterhawk]

In one of the recent M&M suppliments (Algernon Files I think), they had a whole team of winged fliers called the Aerie. Their flying brick is Roc.

[freakboy6117]

how about a luck powered super hero called Albatross

I made an Anti viper martial artist a while back called Sekretär (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19083) based on the secretary bird that stomps snakes.

another one that hasn't been used THE FLAMINGO i can see it now a rhino like pink feather clad cross dressing brick.

[fbdaury]

how about a luck powered super hero called Albatross

I made an Anti viper martial artist a while back called Sekretär (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19083) based on the secretary bird that stomps snakes.

another one that hasn't been used THE FLAMINGO i can see it now a rhino like pink feather clad cross dressing brick.

Actually, if you were going to be Albatross, you should have ranged missle reflection, only to reflect crossbow bolts at you!

[st barbara]

What about "Raptor"? Generic term for a bird of prey. As I have said a number of times before, try looking these things up in a thesaurus, you can get some interesting variations that way !

[Blue Jogger]

Or maybe... the Woodpecker!

Great, I'm hearing the opening theme for Woody Woodpecker:
Huhuhaha huhuhuhaha! That's the Woody Woodpecker song!

Main Attacks:
Flash (befuddle attack)
Armor Piercing, Autofire Attack (pecking)

Main Movement:
Flies, by flaping arms in a complete mockery of actual winged flight.

Main Defense:
Dodge and a high-speed, must be a martial artist or speedster.

[jackalope]

I was trying to come up with a Mockingbird clone, and stumbled on the name Tanager. It's just a small seed-eating sparrow like bird, but I thought the name was cool and exotic.

[grymlocke]

With his own theme song! :whistle:

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Merry, merry king of the bush is he,
Laugh, Kookaburra, Laugh, Kookaburra,
Gay your life must be.


Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gumdrops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra, Stop, Kookaburra
Leave some there for me.


Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree,
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop, Kookaburra, Stop, Kookaburra,
That's no monkey, that's me.

I NEW I HAD THE SPELL'N WRONG......DANGNABIT!!! :stupid:

[Brandi]

Great, I'm hearing the opening theme for Woody Woodpecker:
Huhuhaha huhuhuhaha! That's the Woody Woodpecker song!


I just remember the Soaring Red Pecker from The Tick comic book.

Funny how he never made it into any of the TV shows.

[Supreme]

Lots of good suggestions, though I should say most of them would be unheard of to anyone but a bird watcher or ornithologist.

"Nah, I ain't gonna join you guys on the bank job."
"Why not?"
"'cause a the Grossbeak!"

Just doesn't ring right. Still some of the names are pretty cool. Maybe for a sidekick.

[winterhawk]

I was trying to come up with a Mockingbird clone, and stumbled on the name Tanager. It's just a small seed-eating sparrow like bird, but I thought the name was cool and exotic.

The tanager is also called the american firebird. Winterhawk's arch enemy is named this.

I can't remember if he's mentioned in the Wild Card books, but GURPS Aces Abroad has a character named Kookaburra, who can induce debilitating laughter in people.

[Supreme]

The tanager is also called the american firebird. Winterhawk's arch enemy is named this.

I can't remember if he's mentioned in the Wild Card books, but GURPS Aces Abroad has a character named Kookaburra, who can induce debilitating laughter in people.
I think Kookaburra was mentioned briefly in Wild Cards IV as one of the numerous, if undeveloped, international aces.

[mattingly]

In one of the recent M&M suppliments (Algernon Files I think), they had a whole team of winged fliers called the Aerie. Their flying brick is Roc.

Yes, that was ours, The Algernon Files.
www.blackwyrm.com

[Major Tom]

Let's see... for a bird-themed character with an international slant, you could
always go with something like this:

Berkut (Russian for "Golden Eagle", if I'm remembering what someone else on
the boards posted recently on a different topic).

If there are other international variations on bird names, I don't know of them.


Major Tom :think:

[Edsel]

What about Exocoetidae, otherwise known as the flying fish. I don't ever recall seeing that one being used.

Of course "Flying Fish Man" just doesn't have a ring to it, and I'm even sure how to pronounce exocoetidae.