Evolved to live their lives almost entirely aloft, the great crested cloud diver is the frigate bird of the draconiformes world. The first and third pairs of limbs are wings, lacking even a thumb-like climbing spur, and the second pair of limbs serve as grasping talons used mainly to climb and cling to rock faces.
The large vane on the head is brilliantly colored in both males and females, and changes color and pattern rapidly with the creature’s mood. During mating season, the crests of males often bear spectacularly ornate displays of shimmering colors and shifting patterns.
Some coastal tribes have managed to breed small cloud diver species in captivity, and they make admirable and majestic hunting companions.