Hawk-bat

Hawk-bats were reptavian creatures with a curved beak and leathery wings that could be found on urbanized worlds like Coruscant and Taris.

Overview
They were believed to be one of the two only native Coruscanti species left in existence (the Thrantcill being the other). Both were feared and admired, although they were considered to be an elegant species. To get on a hawk-bat's bad side could be a very dangerous proposition. As a result, very few lived in captivity.

Because of this, they became a symbol for many swoop gangs and pirates. The lightsaber form Ataru was named after the hawk-bat. One of the battalions which fought under the 101st Regiment during the Clone Wars was also known as the Hawkbat Battalion.

The wingspan of a hawk-bat averaged 1.5 meters. The wings consisted of a thin membrane stretched over a series of wing-bones. The membrane itself was studded with spiky growths. The hooked beak of a hawk-bat contained tiny teeth that could tear prey to shreds, which they found with a combination of accurate eyesight and echolocation.

Flocks of hawk-bats would hunt and attack their prey as if they were one. Though they favored granite slugs and shadowmoth larvae, hawk-bats would feed on anything that moved. Even large enemies could be taken down by a large flock of hawk-bats. Though a solitary hawk-bat could prove to be a significant threat, it was weaker when it was alone.

If one hawk-bat was disturbed, all of its companions would attack the enemy at once. They usually traveled in large flocks through the pipes and lower levels of Coruscant. Every few months, they migrated despite lack of seasons within the lower-levels. Because of this, many scientists came to believe that hawk-bats evolved during the ancient times of Coruscant, making them the only known species to survive Coruscant's urbanization. Hawk-bats hated the cold and usually stayed away from it. Many lived on power-cables or in heated vents, hanging upside down warm pipes below buildings.

Like other avian species, the young of hawk-bats hatched from eggs. They lacked the feathers normally exant in most avian species, but were covered in leathery scaled skin normally found in reptiles and were thus actually reptavians. To keep their young safe during this critical period, hawk-bats would camouflage the brown and green eggs as best they could to make them appear to be mere rocks. And though it may look as if the eggs had been abandoned by their parents, it was a sure thing that one of them was keeping eye on the nest from a distance—most likely the mother.

Hawk-bat mothers were extremely protective of their young. If a predator saw through the camouflage and threatened the eggs, he would quickly learn the full fury of a hawk-bat mother's wrath.

When they finally hatched from their eggs, young hawk-bats had green skin and were fully independent from birth. Upon reaching maturity, the hawk-bat would shed its green skin and emerge as an adult, with purplish-gray skin.

Hawk-bats as delicacy
Hawk-bat meat was very delicious, and their eggs were considered a delicacy. Emperor Palpatine had a private aviary of hawk-bats in the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, where he and guests could have hawk-bats at their leisure. Hawk-bat flesh was discovered to be edible by the Ortolan chef, Handree Braman, who recommended that it be cooked at 1,000 degrees for no more than twenty minutes.

Hawk-bats managed to survive the Yuuzhan Vong War, and seem to have adapted to Coruscant's newly introduced biological components.