<>CLASSIFICATION<>
/based on a monophyletic ordering/
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida/Reptilia
Order: Saurischia
Suborder: Theropoda
clade: Maniraptoformes
*Family: Infortunia
*Genus: Jinxeta

Common Name: Jinx

*not actual classifications, Infortunia is derived from /infortunium/ (Latin for 'bad luck'), Jinxeta is derived from /jinx/ (Eng, 'charm' or 'spell')

General notes:
The class Infortunia includes such creatures as sirens (the original bird-women creatures, not the mermaids they became) and harpies.
The genus Jinxeta contains many species to reflect the many species of bird they are based on.
By the science of it, jinx should only be able to mate with other jinx of the same species. However, for the sake of shipping, science gets thrown out the window at this point.
You're welcome.
Since we just threw science out the window, let's talk about magic. Jinx are shape-shifters and have three forms: humanoid, bird, and their "natural" (or "true") form (shown here).

Notes on forms:
Humanoid
JINX AREN'T MAMMALS. Their bodies are covered in very fine feathers, which they retain while in this form. Their "hair" consists of a crest of larger feathers.
Natural
Jinx remain, at all times, four-limbed. In this form, they have two wings and two legs, all of which are bird-like. They also sport a bird's tail. Their bodies and faces are covered in fine feathers with a crest of larger feathers as "hair."
Bird
When a jinx goes full avian, they take on every aspect of a bird. This means they CANNOT SPEAK in this form and are limited to chirps/squawks/etc. They also shrink to the proper size for said bird. (Yeah, yeah, conservation of mass, but we already threw science out the window, remember?)

Notes on shifting:
Shifting takes a conscious effort, but it is not particularly draining. If a jinx hasn't shifted for some time, the process may be slightly discomforting, but unless there are broken bones or injured internal organs trying to rearrange themselves, the process is never painful.
It takes a greater effort to shift into a bird form than humanoid form since there is a bigger difference between that form and the natural form (namely, size).
A jinx cannot shift directly from its bird form to its humanoid form or vice versa. It must go through its natural form.
Staying in a form other than the natural form also requires a conscious effort--however, it is very slight, and is comparable to the effort you might put toward moving your fingers to hold something, or your legs to walk. You don't /think/ about it, you just /do/ it.

Notes on shifting (cont.):
While sleepwalking is a legitimate occurrence, it is not incredibly common. The same principle applies to shifting. When unconscious, a jinx will return to its natural form. Shifting to another form while unconscious is not unheard of, but it is by no means common. This sort of behavior might accommodate nightmares or nightterrors, just as we might become terribly animated during such an event.

Notes on clothing:
Jinx only bother with clothing if they are in a situation which requires (or highly encourages) them to do so. This is because dressing isn't the easiest thing for them--first of all, unless they plan on staying in a humanoid form for as long as clothes are needed (or if they plan on buying a lot of new shirts), sleeves really don't work at all and arm holes must be lengthened to accommodate wings. Pants look ridiculously wide at the bottom and skirts are worse, so they generally stick to long shorts (ending just above the knee). (Skirts are possible, but are generally shunned as the extra fabric often gets in the way of properly folded wings and tail.) Then there's the whole problem of clothes either falling off of or trapping birds...

Notes on flying:
Jinx can obviously fly just fine in their bird forms. The problems start arising in their natural forms. They /can/ fly, it's just a little ungainly and requires far more energy than flying in a full bird form. Unless they're trying to keep an outfit, they'll generally just shift to fly.