Reasons for tits on an avian

[ScreamingBees]

I was trying to work on a fantasy setting with alien races in place of the standard fantasy races. One such race are a race of avian creatures similar to the silgrian from outlaw star, but I'm trying to think of a way to explain why they'd have breasts. Any ideas?

 

[quoting_mungo]

You don’t strictly need “avian” to equate to “bird,” especially if they’re aliens rather than evolved from Earth creatures. So the answer might be as simple as “they’re mammals.” Or they could be air/gas sacs, sort of like the swimming bladder thing fish have to adjust their buoyancy. Or it’s just a weird body part that developed for sexual signaling, because if you look at animals there’s plenty of examples of frankly impractical body adornments whose only purpose (far as we’ve been able to discern) is to attract a mate.

Or whatever, really. Don’t overthink it; does your viewpoint character/narrator have a reason to know or reflect over the alien bird bazongas?

 

[okelokey]

The only thing that makes sense to me is at some point they evolved mammalian traits. Though I don't think anyone can say being a mammal is better than not being a mammal. I guess if you look at humans as the pinnacle of evolution then it makes sense to "be a mammal too". Maybe this is the result of hundreds of years cross breeding with another species.

But think about it. If avians have mammal breasts then they can't be considered avian anymore. Mammary glands are like... the defining feature of mammals. It's where we get the name. So the Silgrian are mammals. Birds need the breast muscle to flap their wings and fly. So what we are looking at is a mammal with some vestigial bird traits left behind. Milk filled breasts are not conducive for flight.

If they still lay eggs then I guess what you have is a monotreme. You know, platypus and echidna.

Edit: If this is a fantasy world you really don't need to over think it. You can say it is the result of cross species mating, or maybe eating some weird magical plant, or just say the fantasy god of this world wanted creatures like this. You don't have to rely entirely on logic. I don't think being realistic will get you want you want in this situation.

 

[The_biscuits_532]

Check out the Greater Sage Grouse

Granted, only the males have tiddies, but they work for something like what @quoting_mungo said about signalling

 

[Marius Merganser]

I think the easiest explanation could be a result of genetic engineering. Perhaps for sexual selection?

There really isn't a pinnacle of evolution since there is no end goal. A population may be very well suited to an environment, but if you change the environment, that population is no longer well suited and different traits will propagate.

Some birds, like pigeons, have crop milk that they feed to young, but that's produced in the crop. Maybe a mutation moved the production if you want to pseudoscience it?

If they are aliens, then you can always claim different environmental pressures and different lineage than Earthly avians.

 

[okelokey]

Check out the Greater Sage Grouse

Granted, only the males have tiddies, but they work for something like what @quoting_mungo said about signalling

God that is horrifying.

 

[Outré]

From the movie Howard the Duck. You can find an unedited version elsewhere.

 

[Troj]

Duck tits! A-woo-oo!

 

[Kingman]

Ah yes good ol' PG Bird titties. LOL

But nah, seriously, birds have some of the most powerful breast muscles in the animal kingdom, that development, shifted to 'anthro' means that development could go to other 'things' as they loose flight. (Avian anthros that can still fly it makes a little less sense to have great bazookas cause of um... flight... air... resistance... stuff.)

On the flip side I could imagine dude birds probably have such powerful natural pecs that'd you could bounce quarters off of em'.

 

[ConorHyena]

I came here expecting tits

On topic though

You don't always need a reason for everything. it's a fantasy setting. An author does not need to explain everything.

Keeps some of the mystery intact if you don't reveal the inner workings of everything and you don't slip on a potentially bodged 'logical' explanation.

Think Star Wars. Nobody explains naught, but it still cool.

 

[ScreamingBees]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, didn't expect to get these many responses so quickly

 

[Kit H. Ruppell]

Silgrians aren't related to any Earth species, so they're technically not "avian".

 

[Bluefangcat]

For a lot of avians with heavy plumage, something like a chest ruff of feathers rather than breast tissue might make sense!

 

[Minerva_Minx]

that movie has some really interesting moments in it. i’m kind of surprised that it’s only rated PG… I believe it’s also the first theatrical Marvel movie.

Yeah... it's a terrible movie. And unfortunately, what's been seen can't be unseen.

 

[Judge Spear]

I was trying to work on a fantasy setting with alien races in place of the standard fantasy races. One such race are a race of avian creatures similar to the silgrian from outlaw star, but I'm trying to think of a way to explain why they'd have breasts. Any ideas?

Because big tits own.

 

[Outré]

Yeah... it's a terrible movie. And unfortunately, what's been seen can't be unseen.

I don’t know if I’ve seen the whole movie in a long time. I remember I really liked it when I was a kid though. I don’t think I really understood all the adult humor back then though.

 

[Minerva_Minx]

It doesn't matter how they got boobs - it's fiction

 

[The-Courier]

It's hot

 

[Connor J. Coyote]

I was trying to work on a fantasy setting with alien races in place of the standard fantasy races. One such race are a race of avian creatures similar to the silgrian from outlaw star, but I'm trying to think of a way to explain why they'd have breasts. Any ideas?

Simply because they're female perhaps.... or.... they might be mothers soon, and may be potentially nursing.
I'd buy that.

 

[NutmegsBigAdventure]

I was trying to work on a fantasy setting with alien races in place of the standard fantasy races. One such race are a race of avian creatures similar to the silgrian from outlaw star, but I'm trying to think of a way to explain why they'd have breasts. Any ideas?

Well that's the magic of creative thinking in the fandom! You could have a reason thats cannon for you or you could literally say "because I want them". Like how my sona is a panda/kodiak cross, that couldnt happen but i just want it, but he's blue with glowing parts because he was cursed by a space artifact thing, and bam, that's lore

 

[Minerva_Minx]

Also, she'd have a cloaca instead of the normal parts, so maybe prosthetics for use when around humans?

 

[NutmegsBigAdventure]

Sure! It already happens with different cultures and races here on earth with humans, so that could easily fit into a furry setting! Whatever you think is cannon for your universe is just as right as whatever other people think ^^