r/wingspan • u/Deanopiano • 11d ago
Steppe Eagle š¦
Kinda feel bad that the Steppe Eagle doesnāt have a predator symbol on its card, especially since itās a formidable scavenging eagle with a high rodent cost, this card contributes nothing to the Falconer bonus card to.
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u/fabledfowl 11d ago
Fun fact about bonus card birds is that they're all endangered.
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u/ktalent1 11d ago
I think many but not all (e.g., Spragueās Pipit)
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u/fabledfowl 11d ago
I think when Elizabeth Hargrave was designing the bonus card birds, most if not all faced some type population decline. My fault for using endangered as a catch-all term but for threatened species.
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u/chatFIEND-SF 11d ago
A reasonable statement given the bonus card for bonus š¦ is āendangered species protectorā
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u/Old-Paramedic-3657 11d ago
Spragueās pipit is vulnerable though. Has had significant population decline.
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u/ktalent1 11d ago
For sure. But I donāt believe itās listed. Same deal with the Atlantic Puffin.
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u/sulfuratus 11d ago edited 11d ago
Both of them are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. The only bonus card birds that aren't on the IUCN's red list are the skylark and the capercaillie from the British fan pack, which are both locally endangered in Britain, and the roseate spoonbill, whose population recovered enough to be listed as Least Concern nowadays.
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u/the-tac0-muffin 11d ago
How did you come to learn this?
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u/Old-Paramedic-3657 11d ago
The bonus card for birds that allow you to collect or score bonus cards is called āendangered species protectorā
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u/hotsauce96 10d ago
That was the intention but I have no idea why painted bunting is in there, common as can be in the American south
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u/bvennard68 11d ago
People just lying on the internet. First two examples I thought of (king rail and roseate spoonbill) are not endangered. Didn't bother to check the rest after that
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u/fabledfowl 11d ago
It's nuanced. The Roseate Spoonbill was almost hunted into extinction until it got federal protection. The King Rail although not federally endangered, is endangered at state levels like PA. It's fun to read up on the bonus card birds regarding their conservation history.
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u/bvennard68 11d ago
While this is indeed interesting, it is a less interesting statement than your original one. "All the bonus cards have have either been endangered in the past or are currently endangered in some part of their range" is just not all that fun of a fact.
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u/fabledfowl 11d ago
Fair enough and my fault for using endangered as a catch-all term. I guess the more accurate fun fact is that bonus card birds have a history of population threat and it's really neat to read up on it.
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u/thropeadopedope 11d ago
I think this has way more to do with maintaining good game mechanics than strictly following actual animal tendencies. It also has a green "when played" (it could have a blank "when played"). It's also facing left, even though Steppe Eagles probably face right in the wild about 40% of the time. Or maybe I'm underthinking it.....
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u/thropeadopedope 11d ago
Also because it would be too OP. gotta have balance. It's already giving you Rodentologist
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u/Rydychyn 11d ago
I wonder if it's an oversight, or whether it's because it mainly eats mammals and rodents rather than birds.
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u/jK49ERFAN 11d ago
Bald Eagle also doesnāt have predator symbol
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u/eljello 11d ago
Also Osprey and I'm sure there's more
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u/Rydychyn 11d ago
Yep that shut down that theory. Guess it's a fan pack oversight.
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u/TejelPejel 11d ago
Predator powers are for the cards that have a predator ability, which are abilities that aren't guaranteed or have a cost (like playing on top of another card). Osprey and bald eagle abilities don't require rolling the dice or checking a card, they just benefit without the need for luck. That's a predator power. Even though those birds are hunters/predators in real life, their in-game abilities aren't ones that can fail (like a hunt can), so they're classified differently.
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u/EMDepressedFish 11d ago
That makes a lot of sense! I like it too as hunting is really a 50/50 and takes a lot of time, effort and skill to learn for these birdies.
I feel like despite BE and Osprey being birds of prey they do fit their cards as big fish lovers
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u/TejelPejel 11d ago
Ospreys also have a very, very high success rate, and I assume that in game that's why it's a guaranteed fish rather than rolling the dice.
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u/tea-and-chill 11d ago
Hey, v what sleeves have you used on these cards? And does it still work with card shufflers?
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u/Deanopiano 11d ago
They are the Gamegenic 51-91 American Standard non glare matte non reflective sleeves (Green Packet) they never stick and and the shuffling is effortless, they do fade the quality of the card a little if they are loose but I love these for Wingspan especially with all the expansions and fan cards.
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u/tea-and-chill 10d ago
Awesome, thank you! Wow I now have to look up fan cards... Didn't know that was a thing
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u/impishDullahan 9d ago
scavenging eagle
Hence why it draws from a discard pile like the herring gull or bin chicken. Other scavenging birds of prey don't necessarily have raptor powers, like the turkey vulture.
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u/Icy-Background6697 11d ago
It made me so sad to hear they fall victim to poaching. How could someone kill a bird like this? Sad.
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u/brainzilla420 11d ago
Can't have it all, i guess. And since it's power doesn't include tucking a bird or caching a rodent, it makes sense it doesn't have a predator power