Alneria eagle

The Alneria eagle is a avian species native to the Kiffar homeworld.

Biology and Appearance
The alneria eagle was the largest avian on Kiffu with a wingspan of 8 ft. They used sharp talons on their feet for grabbing rodents, and small small reptiles. However, some eagles have been reported carrying of Kiffar babies. They would then carry their prey to a cliff and use their hokked beaks to tear away chunks of flesh. Females with chicks would swallow the food and regurgitate it for their chicks. Alneria eagles were naturally solitary and only gathered in mating season and raising chicks. Males and females would help raise their chicks.

History
The Kiffar on Kiffu considered the eagle as the ultimate signal of power. The clan Kel's insignia was based on the silver underwing of the eagle. A right of passage was to climb the cliffs of Kiffu and bring back a silver eagle feather and place it on Alneria Kel's Grave Marker. Many powerful figures had pet alneria eagles. The clan Kel were mortally apposed to the keeping of these birds as pets and zoo animals. This lead to them lobbying for the ALneria eagle to be put on the Intergalactic Protected Spesies List making it illegal to own these birds as pets, however, many smugglers illegaly shipped these birds all over the Galaxy.

Alneria of the Eagles
The eagles are named after the Kel naturalist Alneria who journied to the cliffs of Kiffu to study the eagles. She eventually gained the trust of the eagles and became a part of the eagles' society. When she died she was buried on the Kel homestead. The next day, a single eagle feather was found on the grave marker which sparked the tradition.