Where to Find Elk Birds in Dwarf Fortress

Adventuring plays a massive role in Dwarf Fortress, and between pastures and caves, you’ll encounter several different animal species, which can become a pretty essential source of meat and materials later down the line. Although you’re bound to rely on pigs and cows for most of your food, there’s a world of critters beyond the confines of your settlement which can be helpful outside of a food source. So, if you’re sending your hunters out to find new species to face, you should be prepared to see animals in even the most unlikely of locations. Elk Birds are a common spawn in Dwarf Fortress but can be slightly threatening to untrained Dwarves, so read on to find out where to find them.

Where Do Elk Birds Spawn in Dwarf Fortress?

Elk Birds predominantly spawn in caverns throughout Dwarf Fortress, and while they are usually not hostile toward dwarves, they will fight back when provoked and can be detrimental to the lives of the inhabitants of your fortress. Of course, as is the way with any animal in Dwarf Fortress, you can kill and butcher them for their meat, but alongside dropping bones and meat, Elk Birds will drop a single feather and a gizzard stone, which can be used for crafting later down the line. Aside from caverns, Elk Birds are alternatively used as mounts by Goblin Siegers.

In addition to harvesting their resources, you can also tame Elk Birds, but they’ll need a pasture to survive. But, they can also be captured and fed by any animal caretaker-labeled idle Dwarf. They are pretty difficult to breed, so you’ll more than likely need to tame a few rather than rely heavily on breeding, but they can be a valuable creature to have around. Given their common nature, they’re super easy to come across too, which makes things slightly more manageable.

Dwarf Fortress is available on PC.