Overview-
Noctowl are one of the most common birds in the world, only being outnumbered by Pidgeot and Pelipper in native range. These bulky birds do not control the skies or swim through water as easily as air, but their sheer adaptability lets them live in almost any habitat. The subspecies native to Indigo is the Timekeeper, known for its strong Psychic potential and timekeeping rituals. This subspecies is the most common one in battling circuits, as it is far bulkier than other bird pokemon. The other subspecies tend to be much less commonly used, as their habitats are much smaller than the Timekeeper's. In non-scientific discussion subspecies are referred to by their local name, Forest Specter being known as Decidueye for example, and the Timekeeper is known as just Noctowl.
A Noctowls best sense is its sight, with eyes able to see miles away with only starlight. A Noctowl's eyes are not orbs like in most birds, instead being cylinders. This is what lets them focus to such a high degree, but does come with the drawback of leaving them unable to move their eyes independently of their head. This in turn causes Noctowl to have high neck flexibility, able to turn their heads backwards and upside down, although not both at once. Hearing is their secondary sense, with asymmetric ear holes to help pinpoint sounds. As with most bird pokemon their sense of smell and taste are very weak, nearly vestigial. Their sense of touch is not relied on, only playing a part during grooming. Like all bird pokemon Noctowl will molt their feathers once they have been worn down. A given Noctowl will molt in a three stage cycle, wings-body-head with one stage happening per year.
The Noctowl of Indigo have a mixed reputation. In Johto they are seen as wise sages, pondering the mysteries of life. If a person is lost in a forest they look for a Noctowl to bargain a guide back out, only needing to tell the bird a riddle it doesn't know. In Kanto however, Noctowl are seen as an omen of death. Seeing one of them during the day is said to foretell the death of a loved one. This split reputation has little bearing for the pokemon itself, but it does have an effect on trainers looking to use one. Kantonian Flying type trainers will tend to not catch Noctowl even when they sorely need a team member capable of taking a hit.
Lifecycle-
Hoothoot hatch during the beginning of spring, in most cases on the first full moon of the season. At this point they are utterly reliant on their parents, incapable of flight. This is when they begin to display their timekeeping rituals, crying out for food at the same three times every day. They stay within their nest, being fed by their parents for three months until they are strong enough to learn to fly. Their distinctive Hooto-hooo cry makes keeping time in forest very easy during the spring, calling out at 10pm, 1am, and 4am.
Once a Hoothoot is strong enough for flight it stays until it has mastered the skill. Its parents will feed it less and less until it must leave the nest entirely to stay fed, forced into independence. Hoothoot will begin to grow their distinctive eye crest after this, their feathers growing in the specific shape to help protect its eyes from debris when flying. Hoothoot will continue to develop their timekeeping rituals, now changing which foot it uses to bear weight every hour. Their diet consists of small Bug types and non pokemon vermin. Substances they cannot digest such as hair, bones, and chitin will form pellets that are coughed up periodically. This is similar to a Meowth's hairballs and is entirely normal, and it is cause for concern if a captured Hoothoot produces no pellets as it could indicate a stomach blockage. Hoothoot will stay close to where they were hatched, rarely venturing more than ten miles away. After six years a Hoothoot will evolve into Noctowl.
After evolving Noctowl will begin to explore their latent psychic potential. It is a common sight to see a newly evolved Noctowl with its head entirely upside down, meditating on its new abilities. Their diet is much the same as their younger form, merely eating larger sized Bug types and adding some small birds. While they will not eat any of the Zubat line, Noctowls will fight any Crobat they come across, chasing them out of their territory. Their head crest has massively expanded, now also used to detect air currents. Noctowl do not migrate, staying in their range year round. Noctowl feathers are shaped in a way that almost entirely eliminates their sound profile in flight, giving prey no indication of the predator closing in. They will tolerate other Noctowl flying through their range if they do not hunt in it. On nights of the full moon Noctowl will gather and socialize, exchanging riddles and information. Each individual Noctowl will have different timekeeping rituals, but the majority will have them based on a daily schedule. A large part of courting is finding a mate with a compatible ritual. Noctowl are long lived for bird pokemon, with a lifespan of 80 years on average. Some Noctowl have even been confirmed to be over a century old. If a Noctowl dies before it has grown old it will almost certainly be a young one, less than 20 years old.
Reproduction-
Hoothoot reach sexual maturity shortly before evolution physically, but it is very rare for a Hoothoot to ever mate. Noctowl will mate yearly in the middle of fall. At the full moon gathering every Noctowl will call out and display their timekeeping ritual, looking around for a compatible mate. After finding one they will move to their target and offer themselves. Should they be rejected they will repeat the process until they find a mate. Pairs of the same gender are not uncommon. Mated pairs will hunt together and share their ranges before the eggs are laid. Noctowls will scout for a good location for their nest prioritizing stability and obscurity. They do not construct a nest like Pidgeot, instead piling surrounding twigs, rocks, and plant matter to separate the eggs from the ground. Noctowl will lay clutches of two to three eggs, each egg laid a day after the other. Eggs containing males tend to be the first ones laid. The Noctowl will take turns incubating the eggs and taking care of chicks. Noctowl regurgitate partially digested food to feed their chick and will not consume Poison type pokemon when they have any.
Misc.-
It is said that Noctowls fixation on time comes from where they originated, the Ilex Forest. Legends of Johto will place the Ilex Forest as the home of Celebi, Time incarnate. Affected by the legendary's power, the ancestors of Noctowl began to track days and seasons. The phases of the moon would be the basis of the first Johtoian calendar, directly copied from Noctowl. Clocks themselves are based off of the Hoothoot, with the hand design inspired by their crest. Smaller townships still base their timekeeping on the native Hoothoot instead of relying on mechanical clocks.
Noctowl are apex nocturnal predators. Able to see prey far outside of their target's ability to sense, they will swoop in for the kill without giving any indication of their presence until it is too late. The ninja clans of Fuchsia fletch their arrows with Noctowl feathers for the same purpose, eliminating the sound of its flight. This has associated the wise bird with death for Kanto as a whole. To date no Noctowl has been proven to cause a human death, yet false accusations and fearful rumours keep the superstition alive.
The Noctowl family is composed of a wide variety of subspecies. The Normal/Flying Timekeeper is the most common in terms of habitat, although it is the Ghost/Grass Forest Specter (Decidueye) that is regarded as the strongest. Native to the Alola islands Decideye has had as strong an impact on their culture as the Timekeeper has had on Johto. The Ground/Flying Clayfeather is found in arid deserts far from human habitation, only being observed from a distance so far with no confirmed captures. In Kalos native Talonflame males have been observed mating with captured female Noctowl, producing chicks with strong psychic potential and fire manipulation. Should said abilities breed true it could be the start of a new subspecies.