Birds are a small flying, swimming or walking mobs added to many biomes in the Mod. They currently serve little purpose other than aesthetics. Most of them are very skittish, and will flee if you approach. The swan will attack, and flamingos just walk passively around. Most birds can fly and are very evasive, and so are difficult to kill. Birds sing less often at night.
Variants[]
Common birds come in four different colours: light blue, light brown, red, and white. Along with these, there are several recognizable European species. These are the Eurasian Robin, Blue Tit, Eurasian Blackbird, Great Tit, Rock Pigeon, Crow, Magpie, and Seagull.
In Near and Far Harad spawn other, more exotic species of birds, designed by High King Ithilion and mainly based off African species. They are the European Bee-eater, Carmine Bee-eater, Common Kingfisher, African Grey Parrot, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Resplendent Quetzal (Ithilion's favorite bird, which fits the Harad style though it is Central American), Rose-Ringed Parakeet, Lilac-Breasted Roller, and Zebra Finch.
If you use spawn eggs for birds, it depends on the biome you are in, if you get the temperate or exotic set of them.
There are a few special kinds of birds. These include:
- the mysterious Gorcrow, which live in Mirkwood and the Long Marshes
- the Craban, which is found in Dunland, Nan Curunir, and Fangorn
- the flamingo, found in Far Harad
- the swan, found in a few temperate biomes
- the vanilla chicken, which can be found in the wild and as farm animal all over Middle-earth
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| Side view | Top view | Egg | Caged | Additional Information |
| Common Birds | ||||
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common bird 0: Eurasian Blackbird added in Public Beta 17 |
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common bird 1 added in Public Beta 17 |
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common bird 2 added in Public Beta 17 |
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common bird 3 added in Public Beta 17 |
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common bird 4 added in Public Beta 17 |
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common bird 5: Eurasian Robin added in Public Beta 30 |
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common bird 6: Blue Tit (really, it's the name!) added in Public Beta 30 |
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common bird 7: Great Tit (also the actual name) added in Public Beta 30 |
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common bird 8: Rock Pigeon added in Public Beta 30 |
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Crow added in Public Beta 30 |
| Exotic Birds | ||||
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harad bird 0: European Bee-eater added in Public Beta 32 |
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harad bird 1: Carmine Bee-eater added in Public Beta 32 |
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harad bird 2: Common Kingfisher added in Public Beta 32 |
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harad bird 3: African Grey Parrot added in Public Beta 32 |
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harad bird 4: African Pygmy-Kingfisher added in Public Beta 32 |
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harad bird 5: Resplendent Quetzal added in Public Beta 32 |
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harad bird 6: Rose-Ringed Parakeet added in Public Beta 32 |
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harad bird 7: Lilac-Breasted Roller added in Public Beta 32 |
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harad bird 8: Zebra Finch added in Public Beta 32 |
| Special Birds | ||||
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Magpie added in Public Beta 30 |
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Seagull added in Public Beta 30 |
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Gorcrow added in Public Beta 30 |
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Craban added in Public Beta 17 |
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Flamingo added in Public Beta 17 |
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Swan added in Public Beta 23 |
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vanilla chicken added in vanilla Minecraft |
Drops[]
Most birds drop 0-2 feathers 
when killed; swans may also drop 1-2 swan feathers 
. Besides putting them in cages for decorational purposes, this is their only utility. However, chickens are a better source of feathers, as birds will fly away from you and hence are much harder to hit. In addition, birds drop all stolen items.
Hunting[]
Hunting most birds is very difficult, as they will fly away quickly if you approach them. The best way to hunt these creatures is with a ranged weapon from far away. Wait until the bird settles on the ground, then make like a Wood-elf and shoot it from afar. Even this tactic is not guaranteed, though, as birds are small and hard to hit, as well as liable to fly away before the arrow strikes. Killing them is the only way to get your stolen items back.
Only swans, flamingos and chickens are easier to kill, as they don't flee. Swans are aggressive and will attack you. If you happen to be a Balrog, a swan may be the last bird you'll ever see.
Hunting birds doesn't always mean using weapons. You can also try to catch the birds in a cage. Only the three species mentioned in the section above can't be captured in a cage.
Thieving[]
Different bird species will sometimes steal items you're holding from right out of your hand, as well as items dropped on the ground:
- Songbirds will go for seeds.
- Crows, gorcrows, and crebain will take all food and bones.
- Seagulls eat fish and seeds.
- The rascally magpie will steal anything shiny, as coins, rings, ingots and gems.
If a bird steals something, you'll hear a vanilla pick-up-sound and see it carrying the item away for a while. If you manage to kill the bird, it will drop whatever it has stolen so far.
Birds may also steal crops from your farm if it is unattended. A scarecrow in the fields will solve this problem for you. If a bird spots a scarecrow within a certain distance, it will give up on stealing crops. Unfortunately, farmhands do not chase away birds.
Spawning[]
Birds spawn in many regions, but mostly in forested biomes such as the Chetwood and Fangorn.
Special birds[]
There are also some special birds included in the Mod, which differ in behaviour, size, and/or spawning locations from the ordinary birds. Those are described in the following paragraphs:
Flamingo[]
Flamingos are birds that can be found in Far Harad and the Far Harad Jungle.
Behavior and Appearance[]
Flamingos are bright pink birds usually found in large quantities around rivers and water. Flamingos act much like chickens; when they fall off large heights they will slowly descend down. When killed they will drop feathers . They are far too big to be caught in a normal cage.
Just as most passive animals in Far Harad, they are prey to the hostile animals like lions and crocodiles.
Breeding[]
A fresh-hatched baby flamingo is all white and reaches only to the hips of its mama.
The player can breed flamingos by feeding them raw fish. At first their babies will look a bit like chickens with pink feet, but will then grow to be a normal flamingo. You can't feed the babies fish to speed up growth.
Craban[]
| “ | Regiments of black crows are flying over all the land between the Mountains and the Greyflood, [...] and they have passed over Hollin. They are not natives here; they are crebain out of Fangorn and Dunland. I do not know what they are about: possibly there is some trouble away south from which they are fleeing; but I think they are spying out the land. | ” |
–Aragorn in The Fellowship of the Ring, The Ring Goes South | ||
The Craban (plural: Crebain) is a type of bird that is found exclusively in Dunland, Nan Curunir and Fangorn. They are small enough to be caught in a normal cage.
Appearance[]
They are comparable to crows in appearance, as they are black, but they have red eyes.
Behaviour[]
They act similarly to regular birds, but spend more time on the ground like chickens, and rarely fly off. They drop feathers like other birds.
The crebain only have 8 (
) health and currently have no use except for their appearance and sounds.
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The Tolkien Gateway has an article on:
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Swan[]
| “ | And one day, as Tuor sat upon the shore, he heard the rush and whine of great wings, and he looked up and saw seven white swans flying in a swift wedge southward. But as they came above him they wheeled and flew suddenly down, and alighted with a great plash and churning of water. [...] He rose therefore to greet the birds, and called to them, marveling to behold that they were greater and prouder than any of their kind that he had seen before; but they beat their wings and uttered harsh cries, as if they were wroth with him and would drive him from the shore. | ” |
–Of Tuor and His Coming to Gondolin, Unfinished Tales | ||
The swan is a mob that spawns exclusively in the regions of Dor-en-Ernil, Lothlórien, and Swanfleet. They are significantly larger than chickens and are fond of swimming in lakes or rivers. They are too large to be caught in a normal cage.
Behaviour[]
Swans are generally passive, but will start hissing at you if you get too close to them. Some swans will attack if you come closer while they are hissing, or if you attack them first. Other swans only hiss, and will flee when attacked.
Like chickens, swans do not take fall damage. When pushed off a high ledge, they will simply flap their wings and float down.
Swans only spawn in and around water sources.
The requirements of their spawning and the limited biomes in which they can be found also render swans quite rare. This increases the value of swan feathers and Dol Amroth armour amongst players.
Drops[]
When killed, swans have a chance of dropping one or two swan feathers .
Trivia[]
Two swans kissing.
When a swan comes near a Balrog, it'll attack the Balrog, dealing 100 (50 x 
) per hit. This can be considered an easter egg, and won't occur in normal circumstances (in survival mode) but can be forced to happen in creative mode by spawning one of these NPCs near the other.
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The Tolkien Gateway has an article on:
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Animals of Middle-Earth
Farm Animals •
Squid •
Bat
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