Species Close-up: the Aarakocra

Part of 1 of a 2 part series on a non-canon species encountered by the USS Challenger.
The planet of Kaclla II, visited by the Challenger of the course of a number of years, is home to two distinct species created by the crew, and developed by the Species Development Committee (SDC). The first species is one of the few intelligent avian species in the Trek universe, called the Aarakocra. Although not native to Kaclla II, they have lived there for over 500 years, after a long migration via “space arks.”
Upon completion of the migration and settling on their new world, they realized that another intelligent species, was already living on Kaclla II. Conflict quickly developed with the Pifili people, and the Aarakocra were forced to higher ground on mountain tops and high valleys. Nonetheless, the war between the two species continues.
As a highly spiritual people, the need to soar and fly is an instinctive drive that touches all of them. Their rigid caste system ensures that each knows their place in society upon hatching, and most seem both content and peaceful when not in conflict with the Pifili.
Check out the entire Aarakocra species profile on the wiki!