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Common Name: Fearow, Onidrill
Scientific Name: Crudardeola becci
Description: Fearow are midsized avian pokemon, with a long neck and short legs. They measure 5 ½ feet long and have an 11-foot wingspan. They are a warm brown color, with pale-tipped flight feathers, and a bright red, ragged crest. During the breeding season, they develop a ruff of feathers around the base of the neck and fluffy white feathers on the tail and scapulars. Their sharp bills and four-toed feet are dull pink.
Range: Fearow are found throughout mainland Kanto in the summer, and migrate to the Sevii Islands in winter. They have been introduced to the Northeastern Island of Sinnoh.
Habitat: Fearow prefer wooded habitats with rivers and wetlands nearby, but will also live in drier woods.
Call: In the spring, Fearow sing a song consisting of a rising and falling trill. They may also make this call when defending their territory.
Diet: Fearow are carnivores, hunting pokemon as well as nonpokemon. They often perch on branches overhanging bodies of water, snapping up fish and amphibians with their long bills. They feed on Caterpie, and will occasionally pursue Weedle, which they must break the stingers off of before eating. They will also use their long necks to reach into Rattata burrows. In the Sevii Islands, they have been seen to hunt Wooper and Marill, which they spear with their beaks.
Life Cycle: Fearow pair off yearly, mating and laying their eggs in the spring. Both parents care for and protect their 2-3 young until they fledge, and migrate alongside them. They work together to build a platform nest out of sticks. Mated couples will often display together, raising their scapulars and pointing their impressive bills to the sky.
Fearow may live 17 years.
Relationship with Humans: Fearow are considered inferior in the arena, despite the ease of catching them, due their ornery disposition and lack of powerful attacks. As a result, they often become the major predators in areas frequented by trainers, and are not threatened.
Naturalist's Notes: Fearow are often noted for their flying prowess, able to fly higher than any other pokemon. The record holder was a Fearow filmed by a hot-air balloon at 32,400 feet! At that height, they enter the jet stream, a wind that allows them to fly very quickly when migrating.
Fearow have few predators, though Scyther may occasionally hunt them.