Kig-Yar

The Kig-Yar are a race of carnivorous bird-like, bipedal aliens with small, sinewy bodies and an average height of 6.2-6.8 feet originating for Eayn, the moon of a gas giant in the HD 69830 star system. By the time they encountered the Covenant, they also had colonies in a nearby asteriod belt. The Kig-Yar are were a race of space-faring pirates and mercenaries, until they encountered the Covenant Empire. The Kig-Yar were initially hostile to the Covenant, but after making a deal with the alien empire, they worked as mercenaries for the Covenant. The Kig-Yar work primarily as snipers and skirmishers in the Human-Covenant War, becoming known as "Jackals" by humans for their viciousness and habit of eating the flesh of their enemies- and in some cases other Covenant species.