| Hawk-bat | |
 | |
| |
| Sapience level | Non-sapient |
| Average height | 3 ft. |
| Wing span | 4.5 ft. |
| Location / range | Coruscant |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Population status | Common |
| Danger rating | Significant threat |
Hawk-bats are flying reptilian creatures with a curved beak and leathery wings that could be found on urbanized worlds like Coruscant and Taris.
They are believed to be one of the two only native Coruscant species left in existence (the Thrantcill being the other). Both are feared and admired, although they are considered to be an elegant species. Getting on a hawk-bat's bad side can be a very dangerous proposition; as a result, very few live in captivity.
Anatomy and appearance[]
Hawk-bats lack the feathers normally exant in most avian species, but are covered in leathery, scaled skin normally found in reptiles; therefore, they are actually reptavians. The wingspan of a hawk-bat averages 1.5 meters. The wings consist of a thin membrane stretched over a series of wing-bones, the membrane itself studded with spiky growths. The hooked beak of a hawk-bat contains tiny teeth that can tear prey to shreds, which they find with a combination of accurate eyesight and echolocation.
A juvenile hawk-bat becomes an adult.
Like other avian species, the young hawk-bats hatch from eggs. To keep their young safe during this critical period, hawk-bats camouflage the brown and green eggs as best they can, making them appear to be mere rocks. Though it may look as if the eggs have been abandoned by their parents, it is a certainty that one of them is keeping eye on the nest from a distance—most likely the mother. Hawk-bat mothers are extremely protective of their young. If a predator sees through the camouflage and threatens the eggs, he will quickly learn the full fury of a hawk-bat mother's wrath. When hatched from their eggs, young hawk-bats have green skin and are fully independent from birth. Upon reaching maturity, the hawk-bat will shed its green skin and emerge as an adult with purplish-gray skin.
Behavior[]
Hawk-bats usually travel in large flocks through the pipes and lower levels of Coruscant. Every few months, they migrate despite the lack of seasons within the lower-levels. Because of this, many scientists have come to believe that hawk-bats evolved during the ancient times of Coruscant, making them one of the few known species to survive Coruscant's urbanization. Hawk-bats hate the cold and usually avoid it. Many lived on power-cables or in heated vents, hanging upside down from warm pipes beneath buildings.
Flocks of hawk-bats hunt and attack their prey as if they were one. Though they favor granite slugs and shadowmoth larvae, hawk-bats feed on anything that moves. Even large enemies can be taken down by a large flock of hawk-bats. Though a solitary hawk-bat can prove to be a significant threat, they are weaker when solitary. If one hawk-bat is disturbed, all of its companions will attack the enemy at once.