Halia

Least Concern The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. The bald eagle is an opportunistic feeder which subsists mainly on fish, which it swoops down upon and snatches from the water with its talons. It builds the largest nest of any North American bird and the largest tree nests ever recorded for any animal species, up to 13 ft deep, 8.2 ft wide, and 1 metric ton in weight.

Fun Fact: The bald eagle is an Endangered Species Act success story. In the mid-1900s, our national symbol was in danger of extinction throughout most of its range. Bald eagles were impacted by habitat destruction and degradation, as well as illegal shooting and the contamination of their food source by the insecticide DDT, which led to females not being able to produce viable eggs. Habitat protection afforded by the Endangered Species Act, the federal government’s banning of DDT, and conservation actions taken by the public have helped bald eagles make a remarkable recovery. Bald eagle sightings are now a common occurrence in many parts of the country. Even though bald eagles were delisted from the Endangered Species Act in August, 2007, because their populations recovered sufficiently, bald eagles are still protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Both laws prohibit killing, selling, or otherwise harming eagles, their nests or eggs.

Formerly known as Aide, when Halia arrived in Owl Wood in August, 2015, she chose a name with a connection to the Thunderbird of legend - or rather, its real-world counterpart, the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Just like her majestic namesake, Halia can often be found soaring high above the clouds, sprite at her shoulder, searching for the nearest lightning storm. Along with her lightning-bug friends, Ceibo, Erina, Makairo, and Draco, she delights in flying through the clouds, playing tag with bolts of lightning.

It’s not all fun and games . . . she also spends a great deal of time wiring various things to run off the electricity those storms supply. At first, the other residents of Owl Wood were skeptical (magical lights and natural phosphorescence were always good enough in the past), but now that they’re accustomed to these new-fangled electric lights, everyone appreciates not having to squint over their books in the evenings.

Lightning Sprite

Familiar

Entourage of the Stormcatcher. (Thundercrack Carnivale Holiday Familiar 2013.)

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Electric Core Chest

Chests

This chest hums with potential. When handled, a small arc of energy crackles, and the chest goes silent.

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Electrician's Power Pack

Apparel

A copper-plated glass tube preserving a diabolical energy source. The wearer is prone to static shock. (Thundercrack Carnivale 2013 Holiday Item)

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Charged Tungsten

Minerals & Ores

A popular material in bulbs and superalloys. Lightning dragons harvest the stuff like it's going out of style.

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Steelhound Core

Dragonmade

Hey, look at THAT thing! No, that other thing.

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Electric Stingers

Seafood

The sting of this jellyfish is particularly painful.

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Pale Lightning Glass

Minerals & Ores

Small caches of this mineraloid often form in the sand below lightning eggs in the Shifting Expanse, forcing parents to routinely clean their nests. (Special thanks to FlyingSquirrely!)

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