Burani

Ornithoid species descended from avian ancestors. However, they glide rather than fly.

Burani are light-boned and large brained. Their legs are more humanoid than avian. Their wings are functional and end in a three-fingered hand with an opposable thumb. The head is large with forward-looking eyes, a hooked beak and nostrils above the beak. There are no visible ears. Feathers are white, with a colored crest on males and a colored neck ruffle on females.

Fellow members of their species are referred to as nestlings.

Clothing is brightly colored and flamboyant, although wings are kept free of any adornment.

Burani are an insular and very private race and somewhat suspicious of outsiders due to an evolutionary history that includes dealing with a number of predatory species on the planet.

The Burani have been united under a single planetary government for two generations. The father of planetary ruler T'Fara convinced the different nests on the planet to overcome a hereditary distrust of others and unite. The planet was united under T'Fara when it was discovered by the Vulcan ship Sarek three years before the outbreak of a plague that sent the Enterprise NCC-1701D to the planet. Because the planet was united under a single government and had intrasystem space travel, the usual period of planetary observation was waived and the planet was invited to join the United Federation of Planets. After a year-long debate, 52.745 percent of the population voted to join the Federation. The move to join the federation was opposed by T'Fara, but favored by his son and heir J'Kara.

Enterprise personnel discovered that T'Fara was responsible for a plague that was killing 100 percent of the people who contracted it. He was arrested for his role in causing the plague. J'Kara died of the plague after refusing to be treated because of his guilt over his father's role in the murder of his nestlings.