General
Mischievous and fearless, pukekos are regarded with fondness and exasperation alike by most magi. White and gold albina pukekos seem to have a penchant for finding and proudly displaying mildly embarrassing items from the humans around them, while the blue and black averna pukekos have an uncanny ability to repeatedly sneak up on other creatures and peck them before running away. Though they are capable of swimming and flying, pukekos are clumsy at both and usually prefer to walk. Legend states that pukekos were once masters of moving through water, land, and air alike, but grew haughty as a result, and refused to aid the gods of the forest in their hour of need. As punishment, pukekos were relegated to swamps, their gifts reduced to bumbling shadows of their previous supremacy. However, as anyone who keeps pukekos will attest, the birds certainly retained their arrogant nature, still strutting about everywhere as if they own the place, poking their beaks wherever they wish.
Egg
A bright red crest adorns the top of this egg.
Hatchling
Pukeko hatchlings are at once rotund and gangly, their long legs and skinny unfledged wings just a little too slender to support their fat round bodies with any grace. However, this doesn’t stop them from stumbling wherever they please, snacking on whatever vaguely edible things they happen upon in the process - whether that’s food actually intended for them, their magi’s lunch, an unstoppered potion, or the pages of a book collection carelessly left lying about. Fortunately, pukekos have hardy stomachs and very little seems to be poisonous to them. Unfortunately, while predators usually leave adult pukekos alone, on account of them being generally stringy and unpleasant (and capable of giving out nasty kicks and pecks), hatchling pukekos lack those protections, and need either an adult or their magi companion to watch out for them until they fledge.
Adult
Pukeko adults are a bit more graceful than hatchlings, though no less mischievous and fearless. They go where they please and are remarkably unpicky eaters. They slurp up snails, raid nests for eggs, and pick fights with fish almost too large for them to swallow. They will also eat tender green vegetables and tough poisonous weeds alike with gusto. This means they see some use for rehabilitating waterways overrun by invasive vegetation. However, most people who keep pukekos do so simply for their bright colors and companionship. Pukekos are fiercely protective of anything they consider family. Wild pukekos live in large, communal groups, often with multiple parents sharing the same nest and rearing chicks together. As companions, this often translates to pukekos adopting both their magi and other creature companions, endlessly harassing anything that they consider a threat to their adopted family.
Notes
Obtained from: Donation (Jul)
Breeding: Yes
Renaming cost: 2000 gold
Release date: July 1st 2021
Element: Neutral 
Breeds with the following:
Averna Pukeko + Averna Pukeko = Averna Pukeko (Guaranteed) Cost: 3 shards
Averna Pukeko + Albina Pukeko = Averna Pukeko (Guaranteed) Cost: 3 shards
Averna Pukeko + Albina Pukeko = Albina Pukeko (Guaranteed) Cost: 3 shards
July 2021 3-shard Donation Pet
Sprite art: Mysfytt | Description: Kestrad