Ostrich horse



Ostrich Horses first appeared in episode, Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World.

Zuko owned an Ostrich Horse, but it is unknown what happened to it after he left with Azula at the end of Book 2. It is possible that it was released back into the wild.

Anatomy
Ostrich Horses are brown, bipedal, bird like creatures approximately ten feet tall. They have two toes facing forward and one facing backward. They have wide flat tails and short, stubby wings that are most likely incapable of flight. Their heads and necks are equine, but their beaks and legs are avian. Ostrich Horses can also jump to extremely high levels and are capable of running along vertical surfaces, even when carrying soldiers in full armor.

Tamed Behavior
The Ostrich Horse is an extremely useful animal to the people of the Earth Kingdom, especially the Earth Kingdom soldiers. Bearing the name of two mountable animals, the ostrich horse is the main mount of the Earth Kingdom. Highly trained ostrich horses are even equipped with armor and used for battles by the Earth Kingdom armies. Ostrich horses appear in body armor that covers their head, neck and part of their sides. This docile creature is a lot like our version of a horse, used for transportation and to carry supplies, etc. They can be equipped with a saddle and can be used to pull carriages, etc. Ostrich Horses have been known to buck and kick their riders and nearby bystanders when startled or agitated.

Connection
The ostrich horse as its name indicates is a cross between an ostrich and a horse. The body of the creature seems to resemble the ostrich while its neck and head resemble the horse. They also strongly resemble prehistoric 'terror birds' such as the diatryma, as well as the extinct Giant Moa (Dinornis giganteus) of New Zealand. Their appearance and usefulness is similar to the Chocobo from the Final Fantasy series. They may have been based on the Horseclaws Kai and Kui from Nauiscaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayo Miyazaki (both a Manga series and an Anime movie as the creators of Avatar, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, are known to be great admirers of Miyazaki's work. They're also similar to the the hawkstrider in World of Warcraft and the bipedal horse-like animals in Ralph Bakshi's animated epic, WIzards. Also have a heavy resemblance to the PecoPeco that is riden by Knights or Crusaders in Ragnarok (both the game and anime).