6 Encounters Without Any Birds

It is well and widely known that owls are false birds from the moon. Perhaps, though, you are looking to run an encounter, defined by its complete absence of birds in another fashion? Here are some other ideas for things that are not birds.

Snot Crow

Apparently named by the same kind of mind responsible for the sea horse. It's black, it's flying, it's making... sounds. Must be some kind of crow.

A chimera of gas sacs, vents, and feathery limbs keeps this reeking ball of slime and fungus afloat. It has an uncanny sense for movement far below it and drips adhesive slime onto its prey, followed by a plunge which reveals its killing root-beak.

HD 1+1 AC as leather (rubbery, uncertain anatomy) Drop 1d8 (only usable from above)
Move Fly clumsy Int mindless Morale fearless
Wants absorb nutrients

Glop: Only usable from above. One target must save or be slowed.

Pop: When a snot crow dies, living creatures near or under it must test Morale as they're showered in stinking black goo.

Anti-Simurgh

When the Simurgh, The Lord of Birds, manifests, drawing towards and into itself all birds in the region, by necessity a vacuum of bird is created elsewhere. Though natural forces quickly move to fill this void with more bird, cagey wizards have been known to sometimes capture it in enchanted cages (hence their name).

A caged Anti-Simurgh is more of a force than a creature, though it may be mistaken for the latter the way it flickers and flutters against the lead and orichalcum bars. If released, it will dart unerringly towards the nearest bird and cancel it, resulting in an explosion that deals d6 damage per HD of the former bird in a radius 10 times the bird's former size.

Scab Finches

The name is possibly a corruption of "scab filchers". Or they were named by the same person responsible for the snot crow.

Actually a kind of green beetle, or dusky wasp, it's a little unclear. Definitely not a bird, though, too many legs. They flit in to steal the scabs off living creatures' wounds to build into their nests of bark and paper. Some druids swear this material makes for superior scrolls of blood and tree magic.

HD 2 AC as unarmored Peel 1d6 (damaged creatures only)
Move Fly normal Int mindless Morale high
Wants steal scabs

Swarm: Minimum damage from direct attacks, maximum damage from area attacks. Can attack everyone in its space and squeeze through tiny cracks.

A Chair

Wise sphinxes know many riddles. Terrible sphinxes fake it with obstinance and may insist the solution to "what is not a bird" is "a chair", for example.

They're not wrong. This encounter is a chair, and it is distinctly not a bird. Is it also anything other than a chair, though?

1. No.
2. Bears fine engravings of The Final Mole. Worth 10x a normal chair.
3. Can levitate once a day for 5 minutes when commanded by someone sitting in it. (This is levitating, not flying, so it's not like something a bird would do.)
4. Collapses when it hears a certain note. Can be reassembled in 10 minutes. (This effect is artifice, not magic.)
5. A secret compartment under the cushion. Well-hidden, and locked with a small key. Currently holds several stale biscuits, half a flask of brandy, and a candle snuffer.
6. Hmmm. This chair might actually be a bird after all? There's something fatuous and unsettling about it. If wielded as a club it deals an extra die of damage to sphinxes and other extremely logical creatures.

The Bee of the Bird of the Moth

Oh no.

This encounter is at the center of a series of underwater caves. Unsettling, unseen waves permeate the place, and despite its location it is patrolled by intelligent, noxious snakes riding horses.

The Bee of the Bird of the Moth is a colossal hummingbird moth. It could be misconstrued as a bird, except that bird would be a bee. It feeds on the strange radiation of these caverns, growing, amassing its forces of horses (and snakes), and preparing to conquer the overworld with its hypnotic powers in search of sweet, sweet nectars.

The Bee of the Bird of the Moth

HD 8 AC as chain (flits, can't be believed) hypnotizing tractor beam see below
Move Fly fast Int as human Morale brave
Wants dominance, nectar

Dread hypnotic flying: When The Bee of the Bird of the Moth flies overhead, living creatures must test Morale or cry and scramble away.

Hypnotizing tractor beam: Emitted from between the antenna. Anyone struck by this beam is subject to any of the following effects of The Bee of the Bird of the Moth's choice:

• Hypnotize: Target must save or spend their next turn gazing in reverence.
• Pull: Slowly moves the target up to 30' closer towards The Bee of the Bird of the Moth.
• Fling: Quickly moves the target 30' behind The Bee of the Bird of the Moth. If it strikes a hard surface (including the ground) it takes 1d10 damage.

Deforming in the swarming: If three or more of the The Bee of the Bird of the Moth's mounted snake minions charge while they can see it, anyone they strike must save or get a random mutation.

Snakes

As large poisonous snakes, but their venom is laced with protozoa. This odd poison resists treatment (neutralize poison and the like grant another save instead of removing the effect outright).

They can also straighten themselves out to act as their own lances during a charge.

Horses

As horses, but morale brave when serving The Bee of the Bird of the Moth. Loyal steeds of the protozoic snakes.

The Final Mole

In some faiths, infants are delivered to their waiting parents by a stork. Less spoken of is the thing that waits at the end of their lives, coming up from below to take what was brought from above: The Final Mole.

HD 3 AC as plate (mostly underground) claws 2d6
Move burrow normal Int clever Morale fearless
Wants death, grubs

Tireless: The Final Mole does not need to sleep, eat, or rest.

Snuffle: The Final Mole can unerringly track any of the stork-born, and burrow across planes to find them at the end of their lives. But it cannot fly.

Mounting: If the The Final Mole is defeated, it crumbles to dirt and worm castings. The next dusk it reforms somewhere within six miles or so with another hit die and begins its mortal snuffle anew.