Photo taken of Entity 192 in Level 11.
Entity Number: 192
Habitat - Various
Description:
Entity 192, commonly known as a "swindlebird," is a pigeon-adjacent avifauna found in many forested levels. It survives by distracting predators using a variety of evolutional adaptations.
Entity 192 is known for its extreme prevalence and relative intelligence. On multiple occasions, swindlebirds have shown the ability to solve rudimentary puzzles.1 This resourcefulness, along with their eagerness to copulate, has allowed swindlebirds to spread quickly across the backrooms. Their stomachs can process a wide variety of fruits and grains, allowing them to instantly make themselves home in any new environment. They have also appeared in Level 11 as an invasive pest, much like the pigeons of the frontrooms.2
Behavior:
Entity 192's diet consists entirely of scavenged berries and grains. Because its habitat spans environments with vastly different flora, its digestive system is incredibly durable. Plenty of common poisons are nothing more than a passing breeze to a swindlebird. However, if there is a substance it cannot handle, it can easily vomit on command.
Entity 192 nests are incredibly unique in comparison to those of most other birds. Instead of high up in a tree, these are built closer to the ground. From a distance, one may take the appearance of a stone, or pile of leaves. However, if you know what you're looking for, you may spot some holes poking through. Further investigation will reveal it to be a mere curtain of scavenged debris. Entity 192 will construct small tents of sticks, cover them with environmental chaff, and leave a small opening for it to squeeze through. These nests are where the chicks are raised, where the birds sleep, and where extra food is hoarded.
Variants:
Entity 192 is actually the name assigned to a genus. There are four distinct species of swindlebird, easily identified by their coloration. Each one of these has its own method for redirecting predators, and has developed unique physical characteristics to support their technique. They have been grouped together as a singular entity because of their similar skeletal structure, migration, diet, way of raising children, nesting practices, and general survival strategy.
Red:
Red swindlebirds, as shown in the image above, have a large feather attached to the back of their scalp. Using its three leg joints, a red specimen's feather can be moved along at a perfectly smooth pace, removing any trace of gait. This makes it hard for predators to identify it as an animal, and therefore any chance of it being prey.
Green:
The green swindlebird is approximately as common as the red variety, although it appears less often in Level 11. Its technique for danger redirection relies on its distinctive beak, which appears elongated and abnormally straight. With the specialized shape of this beak, along with its forked tongue, the green swindlebird can emit ultrasonic screeches in an attempt to scare away the opposition.
Purple:
Purple swindlebirds are distinctly more rare than the first two subspecies, most likely due to the relative danger of their strategy. They have larger, more reflective eyes, which it uses to disorient predators. This brings a few problems. Firstly, the reflective membrane underneath the cornea only makes a difference at night, which requires them to be nocturnal. Secondly, their bright eyes often attract predators instead of repelling them. Due to the increased danger of simply existing, purple swindlebirds breed even faster than the other variants. Their offspring can survive without parental guidance as well.
Blue:
The rarest and most elusive variant of Entity 192. Much of our information comes from a single specimen in M.E.G. custody.
Its appearance can be described as similar to a typical parrot, with the same head shape, feather texture, and beak. Although it may appear completely ordinary, there is certainly something special to this kind of swindlebird.
The outermost feathers of the blue swindlebird are coated in an unidentified hallucinogenic substance, known to cause slight delirium in entities and wanderers that make skin contact. This effect is incredibly fast-acting, meaning that most predators that attempt to attack a blue swindlebird will be repelled before it can be wounded.
EDIT: On 06/05/2015, the M.E.G. received a report of an abnormally powerful blue swindlebird on level 2.
Further investigation as to its origins are underway.
Discovery:
Although sightings of "colored pigeons" were reported for multiple years prior, the first verifiable appearance of Entity 192 was on 08/14/2008 in Level 11. More started appearing shortly after, and made themselves at home. Entity 192 is now a permanent staple of the city.