- "When we are young, every one of us meets our Loftwing under the great Statue of the Goddess. It's quite a big moment, as I'm sure you recall."
- — Gaepora
The Loftwings are a race from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The citizens of Skyloft use them to fly to different regions in The Sky. Loftwings are also an integral part of the Wing Ceremony.
Each resident of Skyloft has a Loftwing of their own. Link's Crimson Loftwing is a unique breed previously thought to be extinct, which makes him a target for bullying. Throughout the game, Link uses his Loftwing to fly over the breaks in the Cloud Barrier in order to drop to The Surface, as the Loftwings cannot fly through the Cloud Barrier until the defeat of Demise.
Loftwings have poor vision at night and only certain knights of the Knight Academy have received the special training to fly in the dark. These knights' Loftwings are equipped with helmets that shine light at night.
In appearance, Loftwings closely resemble shoebills, a real life species of large, stork-like birds. It is notable that some Loftwings have 'hairstyles' matching those of their riders. For example, Groose's Loftwing has a large pompadour and Orielle's Loftwing has a long pigtail. Various different colored Loftwings can be seen flying whenever Link learns a new song on the Isle of Songs.
During Parrow and Orielle's side quest, it is revealed by Orielle that human medicine such as Potions will not work on Loftwings and they require special bird medicine, which as it turns out happens to be simple Mushroom Spores which can be obtained from the giant mushrooms on The Surface and a small island southwest of Skyloft.
Other appearances[]
Subseries warning: This article or section contains information on a subseries within the Legend of Zelda series and should be considered part of its own separate canon.
Hyrule Warriors[]
Link's Level 3 Great Fairy weapon, the Great Sky Fairy wears a Loftwing costume based off Link's Crimson Loftwing.
Subseries warning: Subseries information ends here.
Non-cannon appearances[]
Non-canon warning: This article or section contains non-canonical information that is not considered to be an official part of the Legend of Zelda series and should not be considered part of the overall storyline.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U[]
_Crimson_Loftwing_(Trophy).png){kind=link}
Crimson Loftwing Trophy from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Loftwings can be seen flying around the Skyloft stage and Link's Crimson Loftwing appears as a Trophy. Interestingly, the Trophy even mentions the Loftwings resemblance to real life shoebills.
Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.
Theory[]
Theory warning: This section contains theoretical information based on the research of one or several other users. It has not been officially verified by Nintendo and its factual accuracy is disputed.
It is possible that Loftwings are the inspiration of the birdlike part of the crest of the Royal Family of Hyrule, which is, among many other places, found on the Hylian Shield.
Theory warning: Theories end here.
Gallery[]
.png "Flight Gameplay (Skyward Sword).png (549 KB)")