Naheila: Cantantak

Prompt            Chimney
Species/Race Name    Canary Harpy        Cantantak

Anatomy/Biology
Types: Standard(wild), and Miners
Description: A species of harpy that originated from a single island. They have since spread out to the rest of the world, making it's home primarily in the forests. As with most harpy species, their arms are replaced with wings and their feet are talons. It should be noted that their backs are also covered in feathers and end with tail feathers. They come in a variety of different colors, but primarily appear in yellow and green.
Miners are a bit different though. Their feathers appear to have a washed out coloration in comparison to the standard Cantantak, making them seem dull.
Diet: Seeds, insects, and fruits.
Male
Average height: Std: 5 ft    Miner: 4.5 ft
Average weight: 30-75 lbs
Average build: Fairly androgynous. The key differences are their jawline, their more pronounces eyebrows, and larger wingspans.
Average lifespan: Std: 20-30 years    Miner: 30-50 years
Female
Average height: Std: 4.25 ft    Miner: 4 ft
Average weight: 25-70 lbs
Average build: Fairly androgynous. Some may develop larger hips and breasts, but they are usually only minor increases in size. Their feathers are also duller in color when compared to males.
Average lifespan: Std: 20-30 years    Miner: 30-50 years
Extra: The males of these species sing in order to attract a mate, as such they have developed a tendency to sing whatever they say when struck with an emotion, no matter how minor. This makes the males incredibly easy to read. It should also be noted that the species has a lower distribution of males, ranging from 1:2 males to females when high, and 1:5 when low.

If left alone for longer than 72 hours, standard Cantantaks will die of loneliness. Miner Cantantaks do not suffer from this, but will crave company after some time.
Politics
Classification:
System: Since Catantaks live in small communities, everyone has a voice for what is best for the nest. They gather at night, usually socially, and discuss any important matters if there are any.
Values: Singing capabilities. Although females can sing, they usually refrain from doing so unless they accept the advances of a male singing to her. Even so, it seems that although they value the opinions of those with exceptional singing capabilities more so than others, the females of the species seem to have the final say in the matter.
Religion: Although there are no religions that have spawned from Catantak culture(s), it isn't uncommon for one to join the religion of a large neighboring community. Usually though, it's due to the intitutions choir/musical capabilities, not so much in the beliefs of the religion. Sometimes even a fanbase that borders the line of a cult has been formed around specific artists.
Settlements/colonies: They have homes up in the trees, making a community nests that usually house anywhere between 20 to 100 habitants depending on the size of the tree/nest. Miners prefer to live in smaller nests or on a seperate tree near one of these larger nests due to their social preferences.
Diplomacy:
Technology:
Military:
Civilian/Public: Simple wooden/stone tools. Ocassionally will trade with neighboring communities for steel tools.
Overview: This species generally do not have many, if any, technological advances that they have obtained on their own. For the most part, they will use stones or branches as tools to help make their nests, or to drop them on their prey.

Traditions: Even though major decisions for the nest are made as a community, Cantantaks place higher values in the opinions of those with the best singing capabilities. So a competition is regularly held once per mating season to decide the rankings of the community members.

Conflicts/Issues: Being a highly social harpy, the Cantantaks do everything in groups, this ranges from simple tasks to even private matters. As such, they even share lovers between them. This doesn't usually cause an issue between Cantantaks, the issue is when the lover isn't a Cantantak, especially when they are primarily a monogamous species.

Another issue is that standard Cantantaks are almost incapable of making decisions on their own, and require confirmation from at least one other person before deciding what to do. This may explain why they're highly social, much to the annoyance of other species (and even Miners of their own species) that prefer solitude.
History: Not much is known of Cantantak history, mostly because they don't write anything down. But there is some written history for one of their subspecies, the 'Miner' Cantantak.

The Miner Cantantak was a Cantantak that developed over the years due to their ancestors being used as an early warning system in mining. Cantantaks were 'persuaded' to work with coal miners. Being extremely sensitive to the air, as well as highly talkative, Cantantaks were able to notify other miners if the air quality was dangerous. Usually this was determined when the Cantantak stopped talking by either falling ill or passing out. On many occassions, Cantantaks died in the process. Over the course of many generations, the Cantantaks began to form a resistance to airborne toxins by developing a filter to their lungs, as well as increasing the efficiency of their lungs thus requiring less air to breathe. They have also decreased their metabolism, which further decreases the amount of oxygen required for their bodies to function.

Possibly due to their seperation from their own species, Miners have grown significantly less social and vocal than regular Cantantaks. Even their feathers seem to have lost much of its color, possibly due to the lack of needing to blend in with their surroundings. Female Miners are the only Cantantaks capable of achieving the gray and/or white feathers coloration.

Even though mining communities no longer force Cantantaks into the mines with them, Miner Cantantaks can commonly be seen going in with them. Miners, although immune to the toxins, are able to identify if there are any in the air, making them invaluable to the mining communities. Many towns commonly make nests for these Cantantaks and provide for them, both as a way to entice them to stay, as well as a method to ask for forgiveness of what they've done before.
Although they don't speak much, due to it making them dizzy, they do occasionally sing. Male miners are the only Canaries capable of reaching the bass and tenor voice range, while standard Canaries are limited to alto and soprano. This, curiously enough, makes them well sought out by the females of their species.