Skyward Sword What Do You Think a Loftwing's Life Span Is?

[Dragoncat]

It's implied that people get loftwings at the age of 10, or around it, with 10 being the minimum you have to be. How old do you think the birds are when they meet their partners? How long do you think they live?

Many large animals are adults or close at the age of 1 year. I'd say that's when they leave the nest and start looking for a human to be their partner, and I assume they live about as long as people: 80 or 90 years at the max. We don't hear about anybody who outlives their bird and has to get a new one, they're bonded for life, it seems.

Do you think they raise their young around humans or not? We don't see any hatcheries or anything...do they have their nests and chicks outside of human society?

Just a bunch of random thoughts I've been pondering...

 

[Ocarina_Player]

I haven't thought about it, but I guess since there is no evidence of a rookery on Skyloft that Loftwings must raise their young elsewhere. Also Gaepora talks about the time Link's loftwing first "came to him", so to me that implies that they just show up one day and pick out the human they like best. I would also think that loftwings live about as long as their partners. And while there is no evidence to support this, I also think that if a loftwing outlives its rider for whatever reason it dies shortly after anyway out of grief. That's how I would write it.

Also I notice that Link and Zelda's loftwings seem to like to hang out with each other. What if a loftwing pairs up with the loftwing of whoever their human partner pairs up with? That would be cute.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I think a lot depends on if they have any natural predators. Ostriches live up to about 40 years in captivity. Many other larger birds like eagles, ospreys, albatrosses, and hawks have been known to live 20-30 years.

I would put a Loftwing's average lifespan (accounting for disease, predation, and early life mortality) at somewhere between 25 years at the low end and 40-50 at the upper range.

 

[Dragoncat]

Yeah I would think if the human dies, the loftwing will stop eating or something to that extent so they can be together again in the afterlife. Shadsie wrote it that way when she killed off Pipit in her fanfic. In mine, he gets to live and have three kids with Karane, one set of twins and one single birth. But I do have one knight be killed in battle, I say his loftwing retreats deep into the woods(they live on the surface now). I don't say anything other than that, but it makes sense that his bird will die of grief.

Would be adorable, but both Link and Zelda's loftwings are males. At the beginning of the game Zelda refers to hers as a he, Link's is called a he too. So...I suppose it can happen that way, but not always. The loftwings still treat Link and Zelda's kid like he's their own though in my fanfic. And there is an instance of it happening, with Groose and my OC. Their loftwings are the same genders as them, they have a chick, and that chick goes to their masters' kid.

I think a lot depends on if they have any natural predators. Ostriches live up to about 40 years in captivity. Many other larger birds like eagles, ospreys, albatrosses, and hawks have been known to live 20-30 years.

I would put a Loftwing's average lifespan (accounting for disease, predation, and early life mortality) at somewhere between 25 years at the low end and 40-50 at the upper range.

They're special birds though, so they would live longer. Plus it's fantasy.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Not an unfounded approach. Intelligent animals like parrots and elephants have been known to kill themselves through mourning.

They're special birds though, so they would live longer. Plus it's fantasy.

So what you're saying is you don't care about any real-world analogs? I guess you should just pick a number you like, then.

 

[The Joker]

5 years. 5 days if Link gets one

 

[Vanessa28]

5 years. 5 days if Link gets one

Well Epona lasts longer than 5 days but she is a horse

I think it depends. How they are been taking care off and if they have natural enemies. Considering they are living with the Skyloftians I think they could reach the age of 20 or 25 perhaps. It is hard to tell. But with the care being taken and the right hand and treatment they could last a long time. And we don't know about diseases.

 

[Dragoncat]

So what you're saying is you don't care about any real-world analogs? I guess you should just pick a number you like, then.

Not quite...I try to be as realistic as I can, but there are no birds big enough to carry a person in the real world. They were based on shoebills. Shoebills in real life aren't as colorful and you certainly can't ride them. Remember that loftwings were created by the goddesses so people could get around in the sky in a world without airplanes, and they seem to have closer bonds with their humans than horses. Not saying horses don't bond, but you can have more than one horse and ride them all without them getting jealous. Nobody has more than one loftwing. This leads me to believe the goddesses gave them longer life spans than other birds.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Not quite...I try to be as realistic as I can, but there are no birds big enough to carry a person in the real world. They were based on shoebills. Shoebills in real life aren't as colorful and you certainly can't ride them. Remember that loftwings were created by the goddesses so people could get around in the sky in a world without airplanes, and they seem to have closer bonds with their humans than horses. Not saying horses don't bond, but you can have more than one horse and ride them all without them getting jealous. Nobody has more than one loftwing. This leads me to believe the goddesses gave them longer life spans than other birds.

In the end, what you're left with is whatever number you feel like using. The extra factors you cite beyond attempting to draw actual comparisons with real animals are "magic" and "mythical size" and "goddess" - and I don't know of any metrics that account for those calculations. Unless there's some semi-canon reference in the game, manga, etc, you pretty much have artistic license.

 

[Ocarina_Player]

Not quite...I try to be as realistic as I can, but there are no birds big enough to carry a person in the real world. They were based on shoebills. Shoebills in real life aren't as colorful and you certainly can't ride them. Remember that loftwings were created by the goddesses so people could get around in the sky in a world without airplanes, and they seem to have closer bonds with their humans than horses. Not saying horses don't bond, but you can have more than one horse and ride them all without them getting jealous. Nobody has more than one loftwing. This leads me to believe the goddesses gave them longer life spans than other birds.

The Loftwings were definitely a convention of Hylia for the Skyloftians when she sent them up there. So I don't think it would be odd at all if she made them also live long enough to grow old with a human. Besides, the whole being able to sense you loftwing to see if they're around? And calling them from wherever and they always catch you? That has to be magic.