Rodrigo Brincalepe Salvador1 & Barbara Mizumo Tomotani2
1Zoology Unit, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
2Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
Emails: salvador.rodrigo.b (at) gmail (dot) com; babi.mt (at) gmail (dot) com
As biologists, birdwatchers, and gamers, it is a common practice for us to take note of all birds that we see and hear in the games we play. Sometimes we even write about those birds, like we did for Overwatch and Honkai: Star Rail (Tomotani & Salvador, 2016; Salvador, 2023, 2024). Thus, it’s past time we write something about the birds in Fate/Grand Order.
Fate/Grand Order (2014–present; henceforth FGO) is a mobile gacha game by Delightworks and now, Lasengle, belonging to the larger Fate franchise. Put simply, in the game you summon heroic spirits known as ‘Servants’ to help you fight and save the world. Servants are typically taken from the real world, and they can be historical people (like Florence Nightingale and Charlemagne), legendary/mythological beings (like King Arthur and Heracles), or literary characters (like Moriarty and Astolfo). A few Servants are summoned together with bird familiars/pets, are bird-themed, or just include birds in their artwork. Those are the Servants we are going to take a closer look at – or rather, we will take a look at their birds.
PARROTS
Kama, in her summer Avenger incarnation, is accompanied by rose-ringed parakeets (Psittacula krameri), also known as ring-necked parakeets or ringneck parrots. It is a popular species to have as a pet and Kama seems to have a whole flock of them (Fig. 1). Besides, and perhaps more importantly, the Hindu god Kamadeva rides a parrot or a parrot-powered chariot (though no one ever bothered to say which species of parrot that is and depictions vary).
The rose-ringed parakeet is an interesting species, as its geographical distribution is split in two isolated areas: there are two subspecies in Africa and another two subspecies in the Indian subcontinent (Russello et al., 2021). The two Asian subspecies even have common names of their own; there is the Indian rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri manillensis) from southern India and the boreal rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri borealis) from northern India and neighbouring countries (Fig. 2).
The Asian subspecies have been introduced to several other countries worldwide, including many European nations, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan (Jackson, 2021), leading to parrot sightings in otherwise parrotless lands (Mandelbaum, 2023).
These birds were (and still are) targeted by the pet trade and many were released or escaped, and populations of these parakeets eventually managed to establish themselves in foreign lands (Cassey et al., 2004; Jackson, 2021). Genetic studies have shown that the parakeets in Europe originate mostly from northern India and Pakistan (Jackson et al., 2015; Russello et al., 2021). That led scientists to hypothesize that birds from the northern Indian populations were more tolerant to colder climates, which helped them to settle down in Europe. In Japan, the populations of parakeets are presently small in comparison to other countries. Still, it is predicted that these birds will increase their range in the countries where they have been introduced to thanks to climate change (Strubbe & Matthysen, 2009) – winters are becoming shorter, with fewer frost days, and overall temperatures are increasing, making the foreign environments more welcoming to the parakeets.
Only adult male rose-ringed parakeets have the dark ring around their necks, so all of Kama’s birds are males. The females (and juvenile males) lack the ring or have a very faint shadow-like one. But in captivity, they have been bred to display a variety of colour mutations: there are yellow, white, grey, and blue birds. But a word of caution is needed here. While rose-ringed parakeets have been successfully bred in captivity and are popular pets, the pet trade and poaching of wild birds are leading many other parrot species worldwide towards extinction (Olah et al., 2016; Martin, 2018).
Parakeets and parrots belong to the order Psittaciformes, alongside the macaws and a few fun oddities like the cockatoos, kea, and kākāpō. Thus, there are other psittaciform birds in FGO. Blackbeard, in his summer attire, is shown with three macaws (Fig. 3), following the pop-culture trope that pirates must have a parrot. Not that we’re complaining, Blackbeard and his macaws are great! Besides, the link between pirates and parrots is apparently grounded in reality, as these animals were good pets to have on board a ship and could also be traded for a fair sum (Nosowitz, 2015).
Macaws are a type of parrot; there some six genera inside the parrot family (Psittacidae) that are commonly referred to as macaws (Fig. 4). All macaws are neotropical birds, which means they inhabit the tropical areas of the Americas. That is, of course, in line with Blackbeard’s uh… workplace.
The design of Blackbeard’s macaws is simplified and generalized in some parts (e.g., fewer colours), and exaggerated in others (e.g., crests and ahoge). No known species of macaws is a perfect match to Blackbeard’s birds. Thus, the artist likely based the illustrations on more than one species; also, colour mutations and hybrids bred in captivity were likely used as references. For instance, the orange and blue bird on Blackbeard’s left shoulder looks like a ‘Maui Sunrise Macaw’, which is a hybrid of two other hybrids!
SPARROWS
Tree sparrows (Passer montanus) are common birds in Japan, where they are known as suzume (スズメ). They are common in the sense that you can see the actual birds everywhere in cities and villages, and they are also commonly represented in artwork and in everyday items. They are reasonably beloved birds deeply ingrained in Japanese culture and, from their many appearances in literature and folklore, perhaps the best example is the fable The Tongue-Cut Sparrow (舌切り雀, Shita-kiri Suzume). In FGO, Beni-Enma (Fig. 5) is based on the titular sparrow of that fable. We will not spoil the fable’s story here, so look it up if you have some time. We promise that Beni-Enma’s abilities and backstory will make a bit more sense after you read it.
Beni-Enma is always accompanied by regular tree sparrows and by her fluffy giant sparrow attendants (Fig. 6). They are the most adorable critters in FGO – sorry, Fou & Steggy, but we think at least Marie and Nagiko would agree with us (Fig. 7). As a matter of fact, in The Pillow Book (枕草子, Makura no Sōshi), Sei Shōnagon includes “sparrows feeding their young” under “Things that make one’s heart beat faster”. Accordingly, tree sparrows can be seen in the artwork of Sei Shounagon’s final ascension in FGO.
Tree sparrows can be recognized from other species of sparrows by the black markings on their “cheeks” (Fig. 8). Males and females look the same, contrary to what is observed in other sparrow species, in which females have an attenuated brown plumage (Clement et al., 1993). Tree sparrows feed on seeds and grain throughout the year, but also capture small invertebrates, mostly insects, when they have chicks to feed (Summers-Smith, 1995, 2016). They build their nests in cavities in trees and rocks, but also in buildings and traffic lights, making full use of the urban environment. When establishing their nests, they might choose to do so in close proximity to other sparrows, forming a loose type of colony (Hegyi & Sasvári, 1994; Summers-Smith, 1995).
Researchers consider that the tree sparrow originated in Asia – potentially in China – around 5 million years ago (Summers-Smith, 1995; Päckert et al., 2021). Today, it is a widespread species, being present all over Eurasia and even on some of the Atlantic and Pacific Islands (Summers-Smith, 1988, 1995, 2016). The species has also been introduced to countries like Australia, the Philippines, and the USA. In their home range in Asia, the tree sparrow is an urban species, while its “cousin” the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) sticks to more natural areas. In Europe, however, it is the other way around: tree sparrows are a rural species, preferring more natural habitats, while house sparrows are urbanites.
Both tree and house sparrows evolved alongside our own species as our commensals (Summers-Smith, 1988, 1995). They have adapted to live in our settlements, villages, and now cities. This topic has been studied in greater depth in house sparrows; their thicker skulls and a greater capacity to digest starch are both features linked to a diet based on grains that humans cultivate (Ravinet et al., 2018).
We have another article about sparrows (Salvador, 2023) using the birds in Honkai: Star Rail as a basis for discussion of this animal’s biology and the ecological disaster that took place in China in the 20th century. So, please feel free to take a look at it if you’re interested.
JAPANESE CRANE
Apart from Benni-Enma, there is another Servant based on a bird-themed fable, Miss Crane (Fig. 9). She is the crane from the fable Crane’s Return of a Favour (鶴の恩返し, Tsuru no ongaeshi). As its title implies, the tale is about a crane who returns a favour and we won’t spoil the story for you; so, as we mentioned for The Tongue-cut Sparrow above, do look it up.
Miss Crane’s colour palette and aspects of her design are, expectedly, based on the titular bird, the Japanese crane or red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) (Fig. 10). It is called tanchō (タンチョウ) in Japanese (or, more strictly, タンチョウヅル, tanchōzuru).
The Japanese crane is a large bird (about 1.5m in standing height and 2.2–2.5 m of wingspan) that can lead long lives of 30–40 years in the wild, with some captive birds growing to be 75 years old (Archibald & Meine, 1996). They form long-lasting breeding pairs and are thought to mate for life (Masatoni & Kitagawa, 1975; Takeda et al., 2018). Their courtship duets are famous from nature documentaries, even attracting birdwatchers and “normal tourists” alike to places like Hokkaidō.
CROWS
Kiichi Hogen is a Servant based on a legendary Japanese monk who is often considered to be a tengu. Thus, their design in FGO obviously brings in some tengu themes, particularly the crows. In the game, Kiichi Hogen is accompanied by crows in their artwork and battle animations, but the birds undeniably look their best in Riyo’s April Fool’s illustration (Fig. 11).
In Japanese, the word karasu (カラス) can refer to either the large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos), sometimes also called jungle crow, or the carrion crow (Corvus corone). Nevertheless, considering the thickness and curvature of the beak, the species in FGO is in all likelihood the large-billed crow (Fig. 12), a staple of the Japanese bird fauna. These crows are large animals, with a wingspan of impressive 1.1–1.3 m. They can live for around 10 years in the wild but can reach 20 years in captivity. Large-billed crows live in closer proximity to humans in Japan than anywhere else (Matsubara, 2007) and you can often hear them on the background of games, anime, and movies.
Crows belong to the corvid family (or family Corvidae to use its Latin name), an ensemble of over 120 species that include crows, ravens, jays, and magpies, among others. Corvids in general are recognized as some of the most intelligent animals around and, alongside parrots, are considered to be cognitively superior to other birds and, in many cases, to apes (Emery, 2005). Both carrion crows and large-billed crows are good examples of this, being quick learners, having great memory and displaying behaviour of play (Matsubara, 2007). In Japan, carrion crows display a unique behaviour in urban environments: they drop hard-shelled nuts on roads and wait for cars to run over them and break them open; when the traffic light turns red, the crows sweep in to get the nuts (Nihei, 1995).
In Western cultures, crows and other corvids are generally represented negatively, though there are a few notable exceptions, like Huginn and Muninn. In Japan, they have a more positive place in myths and folklore, including fantastic beasts based on crows such as Yatagarasu and Yogen no tori – not to mention some of the coolest Pokémon (Gómez-Martínez & García-Arroyo, 2023).
PENGUINS & GULLS
Meltryllis, in her Mysterious Alter Ego Λ form, is penguin-themed (or Leviathan-themed according to her). In her artwork, battle animations and Noble Phantasm, she is accompanied by emperor penguins, Aptenodytes forsteri (Fig. 13). Her birds seem a bit small for an emperor penguin though, which average around 1.08 m in standing height (Prévost, 1961). As emperor penguins already receive a lot of attention in documentaries and so on, we will not go into details about them here.
Melt is also accompanied by gulls in another ascension (Fig. 13) and Nemo is also shown alongside gulls in his artwork (Fig. 13) and in battle animations. There are over 50 species of gulls worldwide and they are notoriously difficult to identify in real life (Olsen, 2018). So, trying to pinpoint which species the artist used as reference would be unfruitful, particularly in more cartoonish renderings such as Melt’s gulls. We could make some educated guesses, but any verdict we reached would be at best debatable.
Thus, we will refrain from identifying the species and simply take the opportunity to say that gulls are awesome animals despite all the bad press they get. They are curious birds and rather apt in problem solving, which has allowed them to thrive in urban environments (Lamarre & Wilson, 2021). But yes, they are watching you and your chips! A study has shown that they observe human behaviour in relation to food to inform their approach to unknown items that are a potential meal (Goumas et al., 2020). If they see humans eating something, they will more likely go for it too.
GREEN BIRD & BLUE BIRD
Huang Feihu is accompanied by the so-called “Golden-eyed Divine Warbler” (Fig. 14), a green songbird with golden eyes. It is a magical creature, capable of scarring the fox Daji. The bird’s design in Huang Feihu’s ascension art and battle animations is a rather simplified take on a bird, but the art of his Bond 10 Craft Essence gives us a better look at it (Fig. 15). Still, it is not a 100% match to any actual bird.
But we have some additional information to work with. First, it is identified as a warbler. We can interpret that as meaning an “Old World warbler”, an assortment of bird species that look rather similar and were once all lumped in family Sylviidae (though we now known that they are not strictly related to one another). Secondly, it is said Huang Feihu found the bird in the northern seas, which we take is the coast of northern China and likely refers to Manchuria (which today is split between Russia and China) or perhaps to the Yellow Sea.
Now, our knowledge of kanji is very precarious, so we might be off here, but the kanji used for Huang Feihu’s bird in FGO is 鶯, which tends to refer to the uguisu (ウグイス), that is, the Japanese bush warbler (Horornis diphone). It is a year-round resident in most of Japan (and one of the three most prominent songbirds in that country) and Philippines, and migratory elsewhere, spending the summers in Hokkaidō, the Korean Peninsula, Manchuria and central China, and wintering in southern China and Taiwan. That is certainly a good start. But this bird looks like a generic warbler (Fig. 16) and is only borderline green. Besides, Huang Feihu’s bird has a much stouter beak than a regular warbler.
So, what other options do we have? The kanji 鶯 seems to have been applied in Chinese poetry to the black-naped oriole (Oriolus chinensis) (Wikipedia, 2024), which is a yellow and black bird and certainly not a warbler. Also, it’s nowhere close to Huang Feihu’s bird in FGO.
But there seems to be some confusion today among the (non-birder, non-ornithologist) public in Japan, mixing up the Japanese bush warbler with the warbling white-eye (Zosterops japonicus) or mejiro (メジロ) (Wikipedia, 2024; we could not find the original source for this). This species lives in Japan, the Korean Peninsula, eastern China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. This could be a possibility for FGO’s mystery bird, as the plumage of members of this species is a brighter shade of green (Fig. 17). Still, the Japanese white-eye has a darker and slenderer beak than Huang Feihu’s bird, not to mention the white circle around its eyes that gives the species its name. The latter, though, could be the reason for the large “golden eyes” of Huang Feihu’s bird.
What about other Chinese stories then? The Qingniao (青鳥) are “blue/green birds” that appear in some stories. But despite the coincidence of colour, the Qingniao are supposed to be much larger birds. In the end, we don’t think we can identify Huang Feihu’s bird as an actual bird species and must just accept it is a fantastical species.
But speaking of blue birds, Robin Hood has a lovely little bird with him. We know from the visual novel Witch on the Holy Night (Type-Moon, 2012: original; Aniplex, 2022: enhanced ed.) that the bird is called Robin. But, contrary to expectations, it is not a robin (Erithacus rubecula), which is a common species in England and has a conspicuous orange breast.
Instead, Robin Hood’s bird in FGO is blue, with a darker shade on its head and back and a lighter shade on its breast and belly, and black legs and beak (Fig. 18). The pattern is very reminiscent of males of the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) (Fig. 19), which is a North American species and, thus, a very weird choice for a British hero. We have already covered this robin in another article (Salvador, 2024), focusing on Honkai: Star Rail’s Robin and her bird (also not a robin). In that article we cover all sorts of robins, so take a look at it if you want to know more.
BIRDS OF PREY
There are a few birds of prey represented in FGO. The term “birds of prey” is not an actual biological group (like, say, penguins are); rather, it is just a convenient label used to refer to a variety of animals from different families that feed on other land vertebrates. These include the “classics” (eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, and vultures) alongside some other lesser-known animals such as condors, secretarybirds, and seriemas.
Let’s start with one of our favourites, the legendary pharaoh Nitocris (see Salvador, 2020 for a full analysis of the Ancient Egyptian themes in her design). In one of her attack animations, Nitocris summons a bird that is drawn in a style that is supposed to be reminiscent of Ancient Egypt (Fig. 20). That bird is in all likelihood a falcon, considering the shape of its wings and Nitocris’ (and all pharaohs’) ties with the god Horus. Horus’ falcon iconography is something that people today easily recognize as belonging to Ancient Egypt alongside Anubis’ jackal. Horus’ falcon is most likely the lanner falcon (Fig. 20), Falco biarmicus (Salvador, 2016).
Popess Johanna is accompanied by a lovely snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) in her first ascension (Fig. 21). This owl species is native to the northern reaches of Eurasia and North America and thus someone would need to have brought it to Rome as a gift to the Popess. Gifting exotic animals (including birds of prey) to rulers has been a common practice throughout human history all around the world, from the time of the Egyptian pharaohs to the present-day “panda diplomacy” of China (Bedini, 2000; Buckingham et al., 2013). Snowy owls are commonly seen in media, particularly after since Harry Potter’s Hedwig, so we won’t go into many details here.
Koyanskaya of Darkness also has an owl in her final ascension art (Fig. 21), which we believe is supposed to be the Eurasian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo). Considering Koyan’s relation to Tunguska, we could further extrapolate that it is the subspecies known as eastern Siberian eagle-owl (Bubo bubo yenisseensis). Still, it looks a bit small for this species and its plumage is, in some points, also reminiscent of the Japanese scops-owl (Otus semitorques), a much smaller species native to the oriental reaches of Russia, the Korean Peninsula, eastern China, and Japan. So, the artist could have used (knowingly or unknowingly) more than one species an owl as reference. Either way, it’s no small feat to hold a 4 kg owl the way Koyan is doing in her final ascension art (Fig. 21).
Yagyū Munenori appears alongside an eagle in his second ascension’s artwork (Fig. 21). Considering it’s a Japanese servant, that bird is likely the Japanese golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos japonica), which is a subspecies of the golden eagle. The Japanese subspecies has a smaller body size than their continental Eurasian cousin but can still reach an impressive 2-meters wingspan (Kojima, 2022). These eagles live in densely forested mountainous areas and are considered an endangered species in Japan (Ogden et al., 2020). The good news is that there are ongoing programs dedicated to its conservation, including breeding it in zoos for release in the wild (Ogden et al., 2020; Kojima, 2022).
OTHER BIRDS IN FGO
A few other birds that pop up in FGO are also worth mentioning.
Semiramis has a black rock dove/common pigeon (Columba livia) in her skill animation. Some of her legends say she was fed by doves as a baby and some of her representations include doves. Since the rock dove is the most common everyday bird, we will not talk much about their biology here. But we will take the opportunity to make a public service announcement: the “fact” that doves/pigeons transmit diseases and are a public health risk is a myth started by careless journalism of the New York Times and a stupid term coined by a random New York City parks commissioner (Jerolmack, 2008). This myth has been perpetrated to this day by lazy media outlets and even lazier school textbooks, to the point that even some fellow biologists believe it and further reproduce it. So, let’s fully state it here: there is no evidence of people getting sick from casual interactions with pigeons (Soniak, 2016) and the risk is very low even for people working jobs that bring them into close contact with these animals and their nesting sites (Haag-Wackernagel & Moch, 2004). From the times of the legendary Semiramis to the beginning of the 20th century, people had a much nicer relationship with pigeons (Mosco, 2021).
Tristan, in his newest summer incarnation, is accompanied by chickens, while his Round Table fellow Percival has a white bird that pops up and sings during his skill’s animation. There is no completely white songbird in Britain except for the eventual leucistic or albino individuals. Both albinism and leucism are genetic variations: albino animals show a complete (or partial) absence of the dark pigment called melanin in their feathers, scales, and irises (the latter means that the eyes are red); in leucistic animals, broadly speaking, there is only partial loss of pigmentation (with no changes to the eyes) and it can also affect pigments other than melanin. People sometimes refer to a white (leucistic) version of the blackbird (Turdus merula) as a “whitebird” (Fig. 22). Percy’s bird does resemble the blackbird in size and overall shape, but who knows if that’s just a coincidence or if a white blackbird was really the inspiration for Percival’s bird.
Yamanami Keisuke appears together with a swallow (ツバメ, tsubame) in his final ascension (Fig. 23). Only the bird’s back is shown in the illustration, but considering the long outer tail feathers it is likely the barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), the most widespread swallow species in the world. These swallows, more specifically the subspecies Hirundo rustica gutturalis, are present in Japan during spring and summer for breeding and, as in many places around the world, they are culturally associated with the arrival of spring.
In the ‘Arctic Summer World’ event, many thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia; also known as Brünnich’s guillemot) are seen visiting the areas. This species can be found across the polar and sub-polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere and four subspecies exist; the one in the game is likely Uria lomvia lomvia from the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The game’s depiction of the animals (Fig. 24) is spot-on.
Finally, there are some not-quite-birds that deserve a brief mention here as well: Da Vinci has mechanical birds in all her incarnations; Astolfo has Hippogriff, which is arguably half-bird (though it “officially” belongs to Ruggiero and Bradamante); and Artoria Caster (Berserker) has a bird-like Pokémon/Pal.
If we missed some birds, do let us know. While we tried to cover content still available only in Japan, we play the global/NA version of the game, so we haven’t played through the Japan-only chapters and events yet. Besides, we have never used Eric Bloodaxe, so we don’t know if he has a bird or not.
CONCLUSION
Putting aside the two Servants based on actual bird stories, Benni-Enma and Miss Crane, the other Servants are divided in two groups. Some have familiars/pets based on real birds (e.g., Kama and Melt), while others have birds that show a generalized or cartoonish design (e.g., Percival and, again, Melt). It is possible that it all boils down to the artists who drew each character and if they are choosing a real species or not when drawing their birds – or perhaps sometimes using as basis a mishmash of photos from a Google search representing more than one species. The only certain thing is that, looking at the list of Servants and birds above, it is clear that we need more birbs in FGO.
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About the authors
Dr Rodrigo B. Salvador is a biologist researching land snail biodiversity, but he often gets involved in bird research too. He has suffered at the hands of the gacha gods and lost count of all the min rolls and unfortunate spooks. Still, he perseveres and hopes that more birds (and more of Charlemagne’s crew) will make their way into the game.
Dr Barbara M. Tomotani is a biologist doing research on ecology, evolution and behaviour of tits – which despite the name, are songbirds in the Paridae family. She has worse luck than even her coauthor when pulling SSR servants but she’s still in the fight for a NP5 Saberstolfo. She is also eagerly waiting for tits (the birds) to feature more prominently in geek media.