
The ground parrots of the weald are modelled on the kakapo, a flightless parrot that lives in New Zealand. In Eyrie, they fill the redwood and rimu forests of the valley and serve as a primary food source for the weald gryphons.
Ground parrots used to live in the Reeve’s Hunting Grounds and forests around the Redwood Valley Eyrie, but recent attempts to clear out the underbrush and tame the lands have removed the hiding places they need to avoid predators. For now, the eyrie merchants must depend on the gryphon parrot hunters for their tasty treats.
Bonus trivia: the Parrotface Pride takes its name from their resemblance to the ground parrots of the weald. While, unlike the parrots, they can fly, they often prefer to use their wings to steer or glide as they run through the forest instead.
In the real world, kakapo are endangered and conservation efforts are underway. Like many New Zealand birds, they evolved on an island with limited mammals. The introduction of rats and cats decimated many bird populations. Mammal-free sanctuaries have been set up, often on islands monitored closely, and the kakapo is starting to recover. Their genetic genome has been sequenced to aid in recovery efforts. Dr. Andrew Diggs has spoken at length about the kakapo (and other New Zealand birds) and is a good source of information. You can support these real life ground parrots by donating directly to the recover efforts. They’ll even send you a stuffed animal for your efforts at the higher levels.