Leafwing
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That is one ugly-ass bird.
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The Leafwing (サイコ・バルチャー Saiko Baruchā, lit. Psycho Vulture) is a species of avian reptile monster that first appeared in the Legendary Pictures films Kong: Skull Island, and reappears in the film's tie-in comic Skull Island: The Birth of Kong. The creatures are also featured very briefly in the next two entries in the MonsterVerse, Godzilla: King of the Monsters[4] and Godzilla vs. Kong.
A subspecies of the larger and more aggressive Psychovultures, Leafwings inhabited Skull Island and typically moved in large flocks. They frequently menaced the 1973 Monarch expedition to the island, and were sighted again by the later 1995 off-the-books expedition. In 2019, numerous Leafwings left Skull Island and flew to Boston to heed King Ghidorah's summons, though by the time they arrived he had already been slain by Godzilla. By 2024 Leafwings still lived within the gigantic dome housing Kong on Skull Island which simulated its original climate. The joint Monarch-Apex Cybernetics expedition into the Hollow Earth witnessed flocks of Leafwings living in the vast underground realm as well.
Development
The creature design team for Kong: Skull Island included Zach Berger, Carlos Huante, Simon Lee, and Stephanie Levallois. Berger had a significant role in designing the Leafwings, based on director Jordan Vogt-Roberts's request for a "fucked up stingray with a bayonet for a face."[5]
Name
Leafwings get their name from their leaf-like wings. Lanard gave their toy of a Leafwing the name 'Pterodactylus', a genus of pterosaur. The Leafwing's scientific name, Icarus folium, comes from icarus, the name of a genus of ferns, and folium, meaning "a thin leaflike structure." They are called "Psycho Vultures" in the Japanese marketing for Kong: Skull Island.[1]
Design
Leafwings are bat-like creatures with pronounced rostrum-like horns on their foreheads, covered in spines. Their wings are green and they resemble green leaves, allowing them to camouflage themselves as the leaves of trees when in groups. The Leafwings in Kong: Skull Island have yellow stains on their heads and on the back of their bodies. In Skull Island: The Birth of Kong, they are depicted with green, leaflike wings and brown bodies. Some of the Leafwings seen in Godzilla vs. Kong have red and green stains on their bodies instead.
Personality
While less aggressive than their Psychovulture cousins, the Leafwings are still dangerous airborne predators. They are omnivorous.[6]
History
MonsterVerse
Kong: Skull Island
The Monarch expedition to Skull Island encountered Leafwings on three occasions. While Preston Packard and several soldiers were looking for Chapman, they spotted a tree with dozens of Leafwings perched on its branches. Packard took aim at one of the creatures with the scope on his M14 rifle, shooting it in the head and scaring away the others.
James Conrad's group was beset by several Leafwings while traveling by river on the Grey Fox. Conrad and Slivko were unable to get a clean shot at the birds as they carried off Nieves, and the group could only watch as he was dismembered and devoured in mid-air.
Leafwings disturbed by the battle between a Skullcrawler and the remaining members of the expedition attacked the latter, killing several soldiers. Conrad sliced several of them in half with Hank Marlow's katana while rescuing Slivko.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Several Leafwings flew around Godzilla moments after he killed King Ghidorah in Boston, having emerged from the Hollow Earth after Ghidorah's cries awakened all of the Titans around the world.[4]
Godzilla vs. Kong
After the perpetual storm surrounding Skull Island consumed it, multiple Leafwings lived within the domed habitat Monarch built for Kong. They lived peacefully alongside the discontent Titan. The joint Monarch-Apex Cybernetics expedition to the Hollow Earth discovered more Leafwings shortly after entering the realm.
Abilities
Flight
The Leafwings are capable of flight.
Thermal Vision
Leafwings have thermal sight.
Spike anesthetic
The Leafwings have spikes on their horns that contain an anesthetic agent.
Camouflage
When congregating in groups, Leafwings can effectively camouflage themselves by mimicking the leaves of trees.
Weaknesses
A Leafwing was easily killed after being shot in the head. The Leafwings were also easily sliced in half with Hank Marlow's katana.
Books
- Kong: Skull Island - The Official Movie Novelization (2017)
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters - The Official Movie Novelization (2019)
- Kong and Me (2021)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters - The Official Movie Novelization
The Leafwings' role in the novelization is the same as in the film, although they are specified to have originated from Skull Island and escaped Monarch Outpost 33.
Kong and Me
Leafwings flew near Kong as he first stepped into view. Jia described them as "trees with wings."
Comics
Skull Island: The Birth of Kong
"The People Who Came from the Sky"
After their V-22 Osprey was shot down over Skull Island by Psychovultures, a team of Monarch operatives witnessed a flock of Leafwings fly overhead.
Gallery
- Main article: Leafwing/Gallery.
Roar
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Trivia
- The taxonomy used for the Leafwing has numerous contradictions that go against conventions used in the field:
- Although the Leafwing is described as being a subspecies of the Psychovulture, the creatures' species names indicate that they belong to different genera entirely, with the Leafwing's genus being named as Icarus while the Psychovulture's genus is Vultra.
- The Leafwing's genus name conflicts with the initial genus name of the Spirit Tiger, Icarus.
- Skull Island: The Birth of Kong artist Zid explained that the reason for the Leafwings' distinct appearance from Kong: Skull Island was due to him not having seen any material from the film, except for a months-old trailer and a piece of concept art including the Leafwings.[7]
See also
References
This is a list of references for Leafwing. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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