Quadwing

Quadwings are a species of flying creatures that inhabit the artificial ecosystems of a number of Forerunner constructs, namely Installation 05 and Installation 00.

Despite being of presumably alien nature, these creatures bore a surprising similarity to Pterosaurs, which were an order of reptiles that lived on Earth within the Mesozoic. Their double set of wings and long, rigid tail gave them a striking resemblance to Earth's dragonflies as well.

Trivia

 * Quadwings appear in the Halo 2 campaign levels Delta Halo and Regret. In Halo 3, they can be found in the multiplayer levels Guardian and Epitaph.
 * Players can shoot these creatures or stick them with Spike Grenades or Plasma Grenades on several Campaign and Multiplayer levels. If shot, they will burst and fall to bloody tatters in mid-air, their gory ribbons tend to just "poof" in the air with few visible body parts falling. Upon death, the quadwing's body disappears for a fraction of a second, then reappears larger than before.
 * The birds seen in High Charity in the Halo 2 level Gravemind are sometimes mistaken for quadwings, but upon closer examination, one can see that they are a different species.

List of appearances

 * Halo 2
 * Halo 3