Hypothetical "Wings of the World" Pack

coatifan · Feb 8, 2022

While I don't think this is a likely route for a hypothetical bird pack, I tried to create a "Wings of the World" pack as a thought experiment, with three limitations:

There may be 16 new bird species added, with flight mechanics
Two of these corresponds with the theme of one existing DLC pack
There may not be more than two birds of each "type" (parrot, eagle, owl, etc)

With all that said, here's my idea for a Wings of the World pack:

Arctic:
- Atlantic Puffin (Tundra, Aquatic)
- Tundra Swan (Tundra - duh, Taiga, Aquatic)
South America:
- Scarlet Macaw (Tropical)
- Keel-Billed Toucan (Tropical)
Australia:
- Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo (Temperate, Grassland, Tropical)
- Laughing Kookaburra (Temperate, Grassland)
Aquatic:
- Great White Pelican (Aquatic, Grassland, Desert, Temperate)
- Roseate Spoonbill (Aquatic, Grassland, Tropical, Temperate)
Southeast Asia:
- Rhinoceros Hornbill (Tropical)
- Philippine Eagle (Tropical)
Africa
- Rüppell's Griffon Vulture (Grassland, Temperate)
- Secretarybird (Grassland, Temperate)
North America
- Bald Eagle (Aquatic, Tundra, Taiga, Temperate, Grassland, Desert)
- Burrowing Owl (Grassland, Desert, Temperate, Tropical)
Europe
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Taiga, Temperate, Grassland)
- Western Capercaillie (Taiga)

And as a bonus, here's which regions and types are represented:

Parrot: Scarlet Macaw, Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo
Eagle: Philippine Eagle, Bald Eagle
Owl: Burrowing Owl, Eurasian Eagle Owl
Large-Billed Tropicbird: Keel-Billed Toucan, Rhinoceros Hornbill
Other BoP: Rüppell's Griffon Vulture, Secretarybird
Other: Atlantic Puffin, Tundra Swan, Laughing Kookaburra, Great White Pelican, Roseate Spoonbill, Western Capercaillie

Continent	Species
North America (Incl. Mexico)	Bald Eagle Burrowing Owl Atlantic Puffin Tundra Swan Roseate Spoonbill Keel-Billed Toucan Scarlet Macaw Total: 7
South and Central America	Scarlet Macaw Burrowing Owl Keel-Billed Toucan Roseate Spoonbill Total: 4
Europe	Eurasian Eagle-Owl Atlantic Puffin Tundra Swan Great White Pelican Western Capercaillie Total: 5
Africa	Great White Pelican Rüppell's Griffon Vulture Secretarybird Total: 3
Asia	Philippine Eagle Eurasian Eagle-Owl Tundra Swan Great White Pelican Rhinoceros Hornbill Western Capercaillie Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo Total: 7
Oceania	Laughing Kookaburra Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo Total: 2

Khaidu · Feb 8, 2022

While I can't speak for other countries, I am curious why the budgerigar was chosen for Australia instead of something like the wedge tailed eagle, rainbow lorikeet or one of the many cockatoo variants? I ask as the budgerigar in Aus is seen as a pet and isn't as popular as a zoo species because of this, same for the cockatiel.

coatifan · Feb 8, 2022

Khaidu said:
While I can't speak for other countries, I am curious why the budgerigar was chosen for Australia instead of something like the wedge tailed eagle or one of the many cockatoo variants? I ask as the budgerigar in Aus is a pet and isn't as popular as a zoo species because of this, same for the cockatiel.

OH SHOOT, I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT COCKATOOS! I think I'll switch out the budgie for a Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo, instead; still common in zoos worldwide but hopefully more representative of Australian zoos.

coatifan · Feb 8, 2022

Honestly though, Oceania has enough birds for a pack all to itself, so narrowing down to just two was quite the challenge.

Khaidu · Feb 8, 2022

coatifan said:
Honestly though, Oceania has enough birds for a pack all to itself, so narrowing down to just two was quite the challenge.

I bet! We are quite abundant with a plethora of unique species

Alexjh · Feb 8, 2022

Honestly that's a very solid list, although I'd go for some different ones.

Arctic:
- Snowy Owl
- Common Raven
South America:
- Scarlet Macaw
- Keel-Billed Toucan (or toco)
Australia:
- Budgerigar
- Laughing Kookaburra
Aquatic:
- Great White Pelican
- Scarlet Ibis
Southeast Asia:
- Great Hornbill
- Philippine Eagle
Africa
- Marabou Stork
- Grey-crowned Crane
North America
- Bald Eagle
- King Vulture
Europe
- European Bee-eater
- White Stork

Mjmannella · Feb 8, 2022

Honestly a lot of your picks would work perfectly fine as habitat animals. Fowl, pelecaniformes, secretary birds, and possibly even burrowing owls wouldn't need an enclosed space anymore than a peafowl or flamingo does.

coatifan · Feb 8, 2022

Alexjh said:
Honestly that's a very solid list, although I'd go for some different ones.

Arctic:

Snowy Owl

Common Raven

South America:

Scarlet Macaw

Keel-Billed Toucan (or toco)

Australia:

Budgerigar

Laughing Kookaburra

Aquatic:

Great White Pelican

Scarlet Ibis

Southeast Asia:

Great Hornbill

Philippine Eagle

Africa

Marabou Stork

Grey-crowned Crane

North America

Bald Eagle

King Vulture

Europe

European Bee-eater

White Stork

Great selection! And yeah, the Ibis, Snowy Owl, and King Vulture were all ones that would absolutely have made it in if I had to pick more.

coatifan · Feb 8, 2022

If nothing else, this really made me realize how many species this game could benefit from... earlier, I was content with flying birds as a finale pack, but now I hope we get it soon so the bird library can expand over time.

Spiderhawk · Feb 9, 2022

I’ll play along
I am a raptor enthusiast but I shall play along the rules
Arctic
Snowy Owl
Steller Sea Eagle
Both are found in tundra taiga environments
South America
Caracara
Toucan
Both tropical, I’d prefer to go with the Andean condor but doesn’t go with rules
Australia
Laughing kookaburra
Kea
Aquatic
Cormorant (any type)
Spoonbill
SEA
Greater hornbill
Polynesian Hawk aka ‘io
All tropical
Africa
Egyptian vulture
African gray parrot
I know the parrot isn’t a desert dweller, its a high priority to me
North America
Bald eagle
Harris Hawk
The NA pack had a variety of biomes, Harris hawks live in the deserts of NA
Europe
Northern Goshawk
Eurasian eagle owl
Both temperate
In total
2 owls, 2 eagles, 1 falcon, 2 parrots, 2 hawks, 1 accipter, 1 vulture and random others

Bearcat9948 · Feb 9, 2022

Alright, here's my take on this:

Arctic
- Snowy owl
- Atlantic puffin
South America
- Toco toucan
- Scarlet macaw
Australia
- Kookaburra
- Palm cockatoo
Aquatic
- Roseate spoonbill
- Brown pelican
Southeast Asia
- Great hornbill
- Bali mynah
Africa
- African gray parrot
- Bearded vulture
North America
- Bald eagle
- California condor
Europe
- Eurasian eagle owl
- Eurasian king fisher

Rational: The bird species I picked can almost all be easily fit into themed areas players are likely to already have. For example, the spoonbill and brown pelican can fit nicely into an Everglades themed area. There's a good amount of diversity here, probably not as much as I'd like, but seeing as we'd be extremely fortunate to even get 16 in the first place, I'd be quite happy with this pack.

Mjmannella · Feb 9, 2022

Gonna take my own stab at this. Not that I think aviaries will actually happen (let alone in a format like this), but just because it's something to do:

Arctic:

Atlantic Puffin
Snowy Owl

South America:

Scarlet Macaw
Toco Toucan

Australia:

Laughing Kookaburra
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Aquatic:

Blue-footed Booby
Common Loon

Southeast Asia:

Bali Myna
Great Indian Hornbill

Africa:

Grey Parrot
White-backed Vulture

North America:

Bald Eagle
Pileated Woodpecker

Europe:

Carrion Crow
Eurasian Hoopoe

I'd also like to toss in 2 cosmopolitan birds to compensate for the Deluxe Pack, these being the common barn owl and the peregrine falcon.

The aim of this pack was to specifically pick birds that otherwise couldn't work without an aviary. I'd honestly much more prefer a pack of 7 or so habitat birds, but that's not the aim of this post.

The_Riot22 · Feb 9, 2022

Sure I'll give it a go:

Arctic:
- Snowy Owl
- Atlantic Puffin
Australia:
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Rainbow Lorikeet
Africa:
- Maribou Stork
- African Grey Parrot
Aquatic:
- Common Loon
- Mandarin Duck
South America:
- Toco Toucan
- Any Macaw species really, but I'll settle for Scarlet Macaw
North America:
- Blue Jay
- California Condor
Southeast Asia:
- Philippine Eagle
- Superb Bird of Paradise
Europe:
- Mute Swan
- Golden Eagle

Alternates:
- Black guillemot (Arc)
- Black Swan (Aus)
- Vulturine Guineafowl (Afr)
- Great Cormorant (Aqu)
- Scarlet Ibis (SA)
- Barn Owl (NA)
- Rhinoceros Hornbill (SE A)
- Great White Pelican (Eur)

nutrit · Feb 9, 2022

Deluxe:

Gray crowned crane
Secretary bird

Arctic:

Snowy Owl
Tundra swan

South America:

Toco Toucan
Hyacinth macaw

Australia:

Kookaburra
Sulfur crested cockatoo

Aquatic:

Shoebill
Scarlet ibis

Southeast Asia:

Indian hornbill
Greather argus

Africa:

Vulture
Livingstone turaco

North America:

Florida turkey
Bald eagle

Europe:

Great white pelican
Western capercaille

Aramar · Feb 9, 2022

Arctic:
1) Snowy owl
2) Atlantic puffin

South America:
3) Toco toucan
4) Scarlett macaw

Australia:
5) Laughing kookaburra
6) Sulphur-crested cockatoo

Aquatic:
7) Great white pelican
8) Scarlett ibis

Asia:
9) Great hornbill
10) Peregrine falcon

Africa:
11) Marabou
12) Gray-crowned crane

North America:
13) Bald eagle
14) Common raven

Europe:
15) Eurasian eagle owl
16) Bearded vulture

BananaLeech · Mar 11, 2022

Not gonna lie, I’d have a bat in an aviay pack if I were to make one.

Arctic:
- Snowy Owl
- Common Raven
South America:
- Green-Wing Macaw (or Millitary. Any large macaw would work)
- Any toucan
Australia:
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Red-tailed black cockatoo
Aquatic:
- Brown Pelican
- Boat-billed heron
Southeast Asia:
- Great Hornbill
- Large Flying Fox
Africa
- Sacred ibis
- Any African vulture
North America
- Bald Eagle
- Black-Throated Magpie-Jay (a man can dream, okay?)
Europe
- Walldrapp ibis
- Eurasian Eagle Owl

NachoB · Mar 13, 2022

Hmm is harder doing it this way...

Arctic:
- Snowy Owl
- King Eider
South America (this one is super hard):
- Scarlet Macaw
- Keel billed toucan
Australia:
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Sulphur crested cockatoo
Aquatic:
- Brown Pelican
- Scarlet ibis
Southeast Asia:
- Great hornbill
- Bali Minah
Africa
- Grey croned crane
- Marabou or saddle billed stork
North America
- Bald Eagle
- Roseatte Spoonbill
Europe
- Bearded vulture
- Eurasian Eagle Owl

Honorable mentions for regions in the original game but that do not have a DLC dedicated to them

India: Indian vulture and great indian bustard
East Asia: Mandarin duck and red crowned crane
Central America: Quetzal and king vulture
Antarctica: wandering albatros

It was so hard!

Cynogale bennettii II · Mar 13, 2022

These are the species I would pick for such a pack, with biomes and reasoning behind their inclusion:

Arctic

Snowy owl - Tundra (by far the most familiar of the birds that live in the arctic region)
Northern pintail - Aquatic, Grassland, Taiga, Tundra (a large dabbling duck that breeds in polar areas throughout Eurasia and America)

South America

Red billed toucan - Tropical (a threatened toucan with a bright colour scheme that is part of a European breeding programme)
Blue throated macaw - Desert (a Critically Endangered species kept in a good number of zoos that represents an unusual habitat for South America)

Australia

Laughing kookaburra - Grassland, Temperate (one of Australia's best-known birds that has a distinctive call)
Masked lapwing - Aquatic, Grassland (a familiar Oceanian species that is frequently kept in zoos)

Aquatic

Inca tern - Aquatic, Desert (a commonly-kept South American seabird that is an agile flier and often kept with penguins)
Great white pelican - Aquatic, Grassland, Temperate, Tropical (a large and widespread species of pelican regularly kept in zoos)

Southeast Asia

Javan green magpie - Tropical (literally the logo species for the EAZA's Southeast Asian songbird conservation work)
Sunset lorikeet - Grassland, Tropical (an Endangered Southeast Asian species that closely resembles the rainbow lorikeet and is bred in zoos)

Africa

Southern ground hornbill - Grassland (a large, sociable, threatened ground-dwelling bird that can be mixed with large mammals)
Lappet faced vulture - Desert, Grassland (one of the biggest vultures that occurs in grasslands and arid habitats through Africa and parts of Arabia)

North America

Bald eagle - Desert, Grassland, Taiga, Temperate (perhaps the most recognisable bird of the North American continent and the most obvious choice)
Pileated woodpecker - Taiga, Temperate (an important ecosystem engineer from the woodlands across large parts of North America)

Europe

Waldrapp ibis - Desert, Grassland, Taiga (a Mediterranean species that is part of a big reintroduction effort to parts of Europe)
European turtle dove - Grassland, Temperate (a threatened species that is probably one of Europe's most beautiful birds)

premierfong · Mar 21, 2022

We honestly need an expansion for aviary that adds like 30 birds. Then DLC every quarter include animals and birds.

coatifan · Apr 25, 2022

Forgot about this thread; I think my wetlands pack picks would be:

Brown Pelican (Aquatic, Temperate, Tropical)
Guam Kingfisher (Aquatic, Temperate, Tropical)