T'vaoan

Looking for Skirmish, the Halo Wars gametype?

"A new species joins the familiar antagonists: a cousin of the Jackals called the Skirmishers, who are deadly and cunning enemies who attack in packs and flank secured positions."

- Game Informer, February 2010

The Skirmisher is a subspecies of Kig-Yar.

Description
The Covenant uses them as close-range combatants, attacking in packs and using flanking tactics (as opposed to Jackals, which are often used as defensive and long range combatants). Physically, they seem to be similar to the normal Jackals, but their heads and skin color are very different from their cousins.

The Jackal and Skirmisher are of the same species, with the larger, more heavily muscled specimens comprising grenadier-type units (Skirmishers) and the smaller, more lightly built specimens seeing deployment as dedicated ranger or sniper units (Jackals). This is a significant change from engagements prior to 2530 when mixed units were more common.

Trivia

 * The new Skirmisher will make a first appearance in the the game Halo: Reach.
 * Physically, they appear even more bird-like than the Jackal, due to the beak and feathers.
 * Skirmishers possibly became extinct during the Fall of Reach, as they are neither seen nor mentioned later in the series. However, this is probably simply because they were created for Halo: Reach, and could not have been in the previous titles.
 * It's likely that Skirmishers are actually another class of Jackals rather than a new species, so on top of Snipers, Minors, and Majors there are now Skirmishers.