Bird

Bird (known as Tori-san in Japan and Mr. Bird in translated English) is the avian companion of Tochiro Oyama and Captain Harlock. Similar species to Bird have also been seen in some series by Leiji Matsumoto.

Appearance
Bird's species is a fictional type of bird which according to Matsumoto, was based upon noisy birds with human speech capabilities such as parrots and crows. Bird himself resembles a large crow with a long stork-like neck, a long beak (which has a cloth tied on for various reasons), a small round head, beady white eyes, thin legs, and a relatively small body.

Personality
Bird is generally loud and annoying, at times speaks limited human vocabulary. He can be rather violent too, especially if the subject is about a serious issue. However, Bird makes up for this by being loyal to whoever he perches on, obediently following commands from that person. He can also get quite sad, especially if the subject is about Tochiro, showing a deep humaneness.

Abilities
Bird like most avians is capable of flight and is omnivorous, often picking scraps or small game. However to keep him from picking up dust and pecking out eyes, Bird wears a cloth around his beak. Bird is also capable of some speech like a parrot, but is often muzzled to keep him from saying profane words.

History
While Bird's species is entirely fictional, it is known to be native to Earth. Many shown members have been companions of some characters including Noboita Oyama. The bird in question would later have nests of descendants that would appear throughout the ages. It also has a few ancestors, some if not all of which being tied to the Oyama and Harlock families. The latest one was a companion of Tochiro Oyama after a chance encounter. While the bird took some getting used to, he also became friends with some of Tochiro's friends including Captain Harlock and Emeraldas. With Tochiro's death, Bird would stay close with Harlock and anyone else who would take the wheel of the Arcadia.

A similar looking bird called the Rockroc appears in Space Battleship Yamato