T'vaoan

The Skirmishers are a specialized group of Kig-yar in the Covenant ground forces.

Description
Skirmishers are of the same species as the more common, lightly built Jackals, but they are much faster and stronger than ordinary Kig-yar. In addition they sport manes of feathers rather than quills. A Skirmisher's voice is more raspy and gutteral. This is because they have an expanding voice chamber seen on their throat. A trait they share with some Terran Birds. Skirmishers serve as Covenant shock troops, while the more lightly built Jackals see deployment as dedicated ranger or sniper units. In engagements prior to 2530, mixed units were more common; however, this changed toward the end of the Human-Covenant War.

The Covenant uses Skirmishers as close-range combatants, attacking in packs and using flanking tactics (as opposed to Jackals, who are often used as defensive and long range combatants and assassins). Physically, they seem to be similar to regular Jackals, thought in combat they do not wield large rounded energy shields like the Jackals. High ranking Skirmishers do wear point defense gauntlets or wrist shields, medium sized ovular shields strapped on to their wrists, to help them deflect bullet and light plasma fire. Their head shape appears to be more avian than their cousins; their skin tone is noticeably darker and not yellowish. They also run much faster than Jackals and can jump incredible heights. Their eyes are also yellow with slitted pupils, as opposed to bulbous and pale.

They saw extensive action during the Fall of Reach, and as a result of catastrophically high casualties the Skirmisher ranks were utterly exhausted and the Skirmishers themselves nearly wiped out.

Rank structure

 * Skirmisher Minor
 * Skirmisher Major
 * Skirmisher Murmillo
 * Skirmisher Commando
 * Skirmisher Champion

Trivia

 * There are actually black Jackals similar in appearance to Skirmishers in Halo: Combat Evolved which also adorned headgear similar to that in Halo 3 and Reach.
 * The Skirmisher makes its first appearance in the game Halo: Reach.
 * Skirmishers bear a notable physical resemblance to the dromaeosaurs and velociraptor.
 * Occasionally, Skirmishers will deploy holograms to distract the player.
 * Because Skirmishers were created for Halo: Reach, they have never been witnessed or mentioned in the games or novels which take place after the events of Reach. Bungie has suggested that the warrior Skirmishers were wiped out during the Fall of Reach.
 * The higher ranking skirmishers have been shown, in many cases, to fight more effectively than other Kig-yar. Tactics utilized include constant use of strafing if not advancing and under fire and often switching between their two point defence gauntlets to prevent critical amounts of damage to either. Those gauntlets, while not nearly as large as those of their jackal brethren, are used very effectively to protect vital areas and are very difficult or impossible to collapse with traditional small-arms fire.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Reach