Forest Phoenix

For conceptart.org's Creature of the Week. The prompt was to design a phoenix of a different element and show various stages of its life cycle. Detail of the chick: [link]


Though this rarely-glimpsed bird superficially resembles a ratite at first glance, it is speculated to be more closely related to Phasianidae. The chick is able to walk and fend for itself within hours of hatching, protected by fuzzy down that looks like dandelion seeds. The plumage of the mature bird is laden with chlorophyll from which the animal seems to draw its energy, though the mechanism behind this ability is still poorly understood. When the bird reaches the end of its life, seeds and spores that have collected in the feathers grow, facilitated by the nutrient-rich mulch that was once the bird's body. After many years, one of these plants will produce a single enormous acorn from which a new phoenix chick will hatch.