Nevermore

The Nevermore is a species of Grimm and the only avian species seen thus far. It is first encountered by Team RWBY during the Beacon Academy Initiation test and is featured in Episode 8, although it appears that a smaller (possibly juvenile) member of the species is the 'Birdie' that Ruby Rose strikes during her descent into the forest in the episode The Emerald Forest. It is also seen briefly in the Opening, during the group shot of the Creatures of Grimm.

Appearance
The Nevermore is a very large avian closely resembling a condor or vulture. Like other Creatures of Grimm, it has four glowing red eyes (two on each side of its head) and a mask-like white bony structure overlaying the upper front of its head. The headpiece also includes a dorsal spine or fin, reminiscent of that on the heads of condors and some ancient Pterosaurs.

Interestingly, the Nevermore is seen to have two clawed 'fingers' extending forwards from the outermost wing joint. This is a feature not seen in any contemporary birds on Earth. It is most closely matched by pseudo-fingers seen on the outer wing joints of ancient proto-birds like Archaeopteryx. The Nevermore is generally reminiscent of the Archaeopteryx in many ways although it is many multiples larger, even in its smallest seen form.

Abilities & Powers
Even for its size, the Nevermore seems to have the ability of swooping down for an attack easily where it gains momentum in going straight back up. It's shown to have a tremendous amount of strength as seen when it was able to destroy a large stone structure with just one hit, as well as ramming itself into a stone bridge with little consequence.

Additionally, it is shown to be highly durable as it is hit several times by shots fired by the RWBY team, yet appears to be unaffected and continues flying. Even when Yang shoots five blasts straight into its mouth, it is only disoriented for a few seconds. Blake as well hit it several times when on its back with no visible damage to the bird. This super-large Nevermore is only defeated after Ruby seemingly cuts through its neck with Crescent Rose whilst dragging it up a hundred-foot cliff-face with the help of her team.

The Nevermore is the first creature of Grimm shown to have a ranged attack. During Players and Pieces, it is twice shown throwing wing feathers, which act like a volley of arrows with an effective range in the hundreds of yards. The only other attack used is a battering ram-like attack, flying and shattering parts of monuments using its bony head-piece.

Trivia

 * Some fans have theorized that larger Grimm such as the giant Nevermore and Death Stalker may be 'boss' creatures, able to control bands of others.
 * It is possible that 'Birdie' was not a Nevermore at all but that the production team simply used the only bird model available to them at that time.The name "Nevermore" is a reference to Edgar Allen Poe's poem, "The Raven."
 * There have been 3 different sizes of Nevermore seen so far, a very small one which Ruby crashes into, one slightly larger than an Ursa shown in the intro and the large one which team RWBY fights.
 * The Nevermore appears in the Opening, flying out over other creatures of the Grimm. This could possibly mean that the Nevermore will appear in later episodes.
 * The Nevermore is the only known avian species thus far and the fifth species of Grimm introduced in the series.
 * The Nevermore is also one of the largest Grimm specimen.