Skull Island birds and sealife

The following is a list of birds and fish living on Skull Island in the continuity of the 2005 film King Kong by Peter Jackson.

Monsters

	Seagulls inhabited Skull Island, and nested in the cliffs where they preyed on Discus, and had their nests raided by Dragonskins.
	Profanornis sordicus were a species of gruesome carrion stork that stood from three to four feet at the hip. While they mostly fed on carrion meat, they were also known to hunt lizards, large insects, unguarded chicks and young dinosaurs. Nesting in the brush, their young hatched already capable of feeding themselves. Despite this, for their first year of life they remained with their parents for protection. This was necessary, as sordicus were so indiscriminate in their feeding that other sordicus adults were just as big of a threat as other predators. Their curved lower jaws could scoop up small prey, or to move cover to access invertebrates underneath. The males' crests turned blueish in breeding season.
	Profanornis spinosus were another species of carrion stork standing five to seven feet tall at the hip. Its beak housed several tooth-like thorny protrusions that helped them to catch fish and amphibians like Swamp-wings in the lowland rivers they lived near. They were also ready eaters of carrion. Young spinosus followed their parents through the waterways and learned to hunt for themselves. Both males and females sported crests, although male's crests were larger and more colorful
	Carrion Parrots After arriving on Skull Island in the last few million years, the naturally inquisitive parrots had taken up the ready food source of carrion. They had shed their head-feathers, cementing their vulture-like role on the island. Some of the species included the Green Carrion Parrot, with a wingspan of three to four feet, the considerably smaller Red Carrion Parrot, at 26 to 30 inches, the Great Carrion Parrot, with a wingspan of four to five feet, and the Fiery Carrion Parrot, whose beak had become hard and sharp for pulling flesh from carcasses and snapping small bones. Their distinctive eye ings were a sign of sexual maturity.
	Foeducrista were a species flightless bird that had a featherless head and a serrated, saw-toothed, bill. This was used to catch small prey and to shear meat from carrion.
	Zeropteryx were among the largest of Skull Island's predatory flightless birds. Standing as tall as a man, and five to six feet at the hip, their powerful legs made them adept runners. Their heavy, bladed beaks meant the end of most small prey, but for Zeropteryx, anything that moved was a viable menu item.
	Brutornis were the largest of Skull Island's flightless avian carnivores, standing six to seven feet at the hip. Their keen eyes could detect movement in the grasses to help detect prey, and their huge, sharp bill, backed by powerful jaw muscles meant the end for most prey in a single bite. They laid their eggs on the edges of the grasslands so as to keep them hidden from predators, but allowed the mother to survey for potential threats. Mothers were fiercely protective of their eggs, and would go for up to a month without food during incubation. They young hatched with camouflaged feathers that hid them from predators as they followed their mother on hunts until they were old enough to defend themselves. The cunning Lycaesaurus had developed a way of poaching the eggs. While one dinosaur acted as a decoy to distract the mother while the other stole the melon-sized eggs. If the decoy Lycaesaurus moved too far away from the nest, the mother Brutornis would abandon the pursuit. If the thief had not finished the plunder at this time, it would likely become dinner for the starving bird.
	Main article: Piranhadon. Piranhadon were a terrifying species of fish that hunted areas where the riverbank sloped steeply into the water, so as to remain hidden before surging out of the water, with its mighty head grabbing whatever unfortunate creature had stopped for a drink.
	Sepulcro were four to five foot long fish that shared its feeding habits with the similar Papilio. Both would wait in the silty waters of the riverbed before striking at schools of fish swimming overhead. Sepulcro in particular boasted expandable stomachs, which allowed them to swallow prey close to their own size.
	Papilio were another four to five foot long fish that waited concealed in the riverbed murk before trapping prey with its mouth agape. Although they were similar to Sepulcro in many respects, Papilio sported many fanlike fins, and favored invertebrates over fish. In breeding season, the fins and fans were used to attract mates with graceful displays, but were also used to stir the silt at the bottom of the waterways to conceal themselves while on the hunt.
	Numerous Fish populated the many waterways of Skull Island, each with varying adaptations and lifestyles, however very few are well documented.
	Stink-fish were two to three foot long fish that were one of the few species that cold traverse the waterways carefree. This was the case on account of the walls of their anus housing special glands that could exude a cloud of foul chemicals and waste strong enough to deter hungry attackers. The mixture also had an adhesive quality that bonded to the attacker's skin, which along with its nauseating taste would make sure attackers remembered to stay away.
	Needlemouth were 9 to 13 foot long behemoths that relentlessly hunted the leaf-choked jungle streams in search of small to mid-sized fish. While most other river predators were ambush hunters, the Needlemouth could match their prey in speed and maneuverability, leading to flat-out races.
	Killer-eel were two to three foot long pack hunters that could shred flesh and bone in no time at all. Actually being related to Lampreys, Killer-eels hunted in packs of hundreds that staked claim to portions of river and preferred to hunt on the injured and sick. They would overwhelm their prey by swarming them, with each individual's mouth tearing away chunks of flesh. Not having the energy to engage in high speed chases, Killer-eels preferred slow prey, and the packs would swim slowly through the river until one member discovered food. Being drawn to the scent of blood, a pack of Killer-eels could attack and leave only a skeleton within minutes. Their eggs were laid in sticky strands among the water-weeds, and served as food to many small fish and invertebrates. This, coupled with their inherently short lifespans kept their numbers in check. Being extremely susceptible to changes in temperature and acidity, even a subtle shift could be disastrous for a school.
	Skull Island Egrets were a common sight not only on Skull Island, where they originated, but also in Southeast Asia.
	Great Grey Herons were a species of wading bird that waited in nurseries and preyed on baby Foetodons.
	Hylaeornis were a common species of bird that stood four to five feet at the shoulder. They nested in between roots. Their speed was their most powerful defense against predators like Dinocanisaurus, although they could deliver a powerful kick that predators knew to be wary of when cornering the bird.
	Noctupervagus were nocturnal foragers standing five to six feet tall at the shoulder. Boasting a powerful kick and saw-like teeth, Noctupervagus was more than a match for predators it encountered, and the venomous centipedes that it exclusively fed on. Noctupervagus were capable of holding a centipede and dismembering them with their feet and beaks to remove the poisonous pincers with delicate and precise movements. Their dark-colored eggs had a membranous shell that allowed small spores and mosses to grow on and camouflage them. However, this could make hatching difficult for the young birds, necessitating parental assistance when hatching.
	Pinnatono were a flightless bird that stood five to six feet tall at the hip. Their long neck allowed them to push their heads into thorny bushes to get at berries and other fruit. Despite being outwardly defenseless, they ate in bulk a noxious berry that most other species left alone due to its incredibly hot properties. Being immune to its properties, the bird's acidic stomachs added potency to the berries, and created a foul gas that seeped from Pinnatono's mouth, pores, and feces. When threatened, Pinnatono could projectile vomit the foul mixture with great accuracy, and caused discomfort to the eyes and other sensitive structures.
	Skull Island Canopy Birds lived in the jungle treetops. Species included the Martial Parrot, relatives of the Carrion Parrots, Dark-wings analogous to woodpeckers, the Brightbird hummingbird, the blue Skull Island Hawks, and the Dapper Crow that fed on whatever it could find, animal or vegetable.

Gallery

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  A Noctupervagus egg

References

This is a list of references for Skull Island birds and sealife. 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]