How could a Kradjin change evolutionary if used through millennia as a mount?

I'm writing a story where Kradjin carnivorous flightless birds have been used as mounts by a nomadic steppe living people for millennia and I'm curious how this might have altered their morphology. The setting of the world is earth like in nature.

• I'm basing the design of the body on a terror bird called titanis walleri. So Kradjin would originally have been 2.5 metres tall and weighed approximately 150 kilograms with a heavy build and a large axe like beak.
• They have not been actively kept or bred in a systematic way, but they have a symbiotic hunting relationship with the humans in their native area that has advantaged the birds who are more social with humans.
• Humans will approach a group of birds when they are heading out for hunting and call for them to join. They will also call for them to join on raids or war. It is common to let the Kradjin eat the dead.
• Similar to some parrots they can bond with specific humans and choose to go live with them instead of being with other birds. The humans in their native area do not treat them like property, but rather with great respect and consider them to be equals.

How could living in such a close relationship with humans have changed the morphology, social structures and vocal range of the Kradjin?

Additional information:

• In the native lands of the kradjin human societies are organised in matriarchies. Women are better riders of kradjin because they are smaller and therefore weigh less. It is possible that the matriarchies evolved because of this, that it gave women a privileged position in warfare and therefore in political dealings between tribes.
• the world fauna is based on a remix of various earlier ages like the neogene. Horses do not exist. There are patriarchal societies though, these have larger, but herbivourous flightless birds as mounts and use ox like mamals for transport of heavier loads.

more additional information:

• Kradjin are quite intelligent, on par with grey parrots.

posted almost 8 years ago

Martine Votvik‭

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