Hippogriff

"Half horse, half eagle creatures, immensely proud and extremely dangerous."

- Description of a Hippogriff A Hippogriff is a magical creature that has the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs and tail of a horse. It is very similar to another mythical creature, the Griffin, with the horse rear replacing the lion rear.

The breeding of fancy Hippogriffs is an established wizarding career, with known breeders including Newton Scamander's mother. Images of fancy Hippogriffs are sometimes put onto calendars.

Physical appearance
Hippogriffs have the bodies, hind legs, and tails of horses, but the front legs, wings, and heads of giant eagles, with cruel, steel-colored beaks and large, brilliantly orange eyes. The talons on their front legs were half a foot long and deadly-looking.

It is stated that, once you get over the initial shock of seeing something that's half horse, half bird, you start to appreciate the hippogriffs' gleaming coats, which change smoothly from feathers to hair. Hippogriffs come in several different colours, including: stormy gray, bronze, pinkish roan, gleaming chestnut, and inky black.

Behaviour
The diet of the Hippogriff consists mainly of insects, birds, and small mammals such as ferrets. They will sometimes paw at the ground for worms if no other food is readily available.

When breeding, Hippogriffs build nests on the ground, and lay only a single, fragile egg. The egg usually hatches in twenty-four hours. Infant Hippogriffs are capable of flight within a week, but it takes many months before they are strong enough to accompany their parents on long journeys.

Etiquette
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs is, they're proud. Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do. Yeh always wait fer the hippogriff ter make the firs' move. It's polite, see? Yeh walk towards him, and yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, yeh're allowed to touch him. If he doesn' bow, then get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt."

- Rubeus Hagrid teaches his first class about hippogriffs

When Humans approach Hippogriffs, a proper etiquette must be maintained to avoid danger. Hippogriffs are intensely proud creatures, and an individual must show proper respect by bowing to them, and waiting for them to bow in return before approaching. Eye contact should be maintained at all times, without a single blink.

The Hippogriff should be allowed to make the first move, as this is polite. If offended, it may attack. Hippogriffs are tameable, but only by experts in their care (such as Rubeus Hagrid, Care of Magical Creatures Professor and Gamekeeper at Hogwarts).

Although proud, Hippogriffs can also be fiercely loyal and protective of those who have earned their trust, as demonstrated by Buckbeak on at least two occasions: when he attacked Severus Snape in defence of Harry Potter during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, and again when he led Hogwarts' Thestrals in attacking Voldemort's giants during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Protection from Muggles
Owners of Hippogriffs are required by law to cast a Disillusionment Charm on the creature every day to prevent it from being seen by Muggles. Using Hippogriffs for personal transportation is also illegal under the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.

Hippogriffs at Hogwarts
"Easily offended, hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do."

- Rubeus Hagrid talking to the class about Hippogriffs A herd of Hippogriffs are kept at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Rubeus Hagrid used them in his first Care of Magical Creatures class in 1993. During the lesson Harry Potter rode on the back of Buckbeak, something that he did not enjoy. In the same lesson Buckbeak also injured Draco Malfoy after the latter insulted him.

During the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, Thestrals were led into battle against the Death Eaters by Buckbeak, a Hippogriff once owned by Sirius Black. Buckbeak was seen attacking Death Eaters from the air.

Other appearances
During the Yule Ball at Hogwarts in 1994, Hippogriffs are mentioned in the Weird Sisters song, Do The Hippogriff. The song encourages listeners to do a dance that draws its inspiration from this creature, "flyin' off from a cliff" and "swooping down to the ground..."

In the winter of 1995, Sirius Black sings a Christmas Carol, "God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs."

Etymology
Derived from the Greek word "hippos" meaning "horse", and the magical creature known as the griffin. In this case, it has the body of a horse as opposed to a lion, but keeps the head of an eagle.

Notes and references
Hippogreif Hippogriffe Гиппогриф Hevoskotka Hippogrief