Sand Bird
| Sand Bird | |
|---|---|
 Artwork fromSuper Mario Sunshine | |
| First appearance | Super Mario Sunshine (2002) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) |
- “It... It... It hatched! The legendary Sand Bird is born! It brokethe tower and flew away! That was unexpected...”
- —Pianta,Super Mario Sunshine
TheSand Bird is a flying creature thatMario rides inSuper Mario Sunshine andSuper Mario Galaxy 2. InSuper Mario Sunshine, it originally appears as an egg, but it ultimately hatches. The Sand Bird is composed ofsand blocks arranged to resemble a bird. In its first appearance, the Sand Bird occasionally screeches like a hawk but not inSuper Mario Galaxy 2.
History
Super Mario Sunshine
Prior to hatching, the Sand Bird egg is kept inside a structure called theShine Tower onIsle Delfino'sGelato Beach. Three large mirrors are situated around the building, reflecting sunlight into a device on the tower's top that keeps the Sand Bird egg warm and healthy.[1] This process has been going on for more than a century.[2] The Shine Tower and the Sand Bird egg are supervised by aPianta professor,[3] who can be found near the structure most of the time.
The Sand Bird plays an integral role duringEpisode 2 andEpisode 4 of Gelato Beach. During Episode 2, the Sand Bird egg is disturbed bya giant Wiggler andPlungelos. The Wiggler is occupying the device on top of the Shine Tower while the Plungelos are throwing the mirrors off balance, thereby depriving the egg of its warmth. Mario is tasked with restoring the original condition of the structure and getting rid of the intruders to ensure the egg's safety.
The Sand Bird then finally hatches in betweenEpisode 3 and Episode 4, breaking out of the Shine Tower and flying away. During Episode 4, the newly hatched Sand Bird can be found soaring high above the ground, circling a tower. Mario accesses this place by leaping through the hole in the Shine Tower's roof into the broken remains of the Sand Bird egg. By doing this, the player is presented with aRed Coin challenge: Mario needs to collect eight Red Coins while trying not to fall into thepit below him, and he can use the Sand Bird's flight path to access the harder-to-reach coins. When Mariojumps, momentum does not factor in as usual, as the bird's constant flight means that he has to move forward more while jumping to retain his position. Furthermore, at two points during the flight, the bird tilts its body at a 90° angle, requiring Mario to adjust his footing accordingly. Seven of the Red Coins can be found on the bird's neck, wings, and tail. The eighth one is located on top of the large tower in the center of this area. Once the Sand Bird reaches the end of its course near the top of this tower, it dives and starts from the beginning again.
Four of the 30Blue Coins in Gelato Beach can be found only in Episode 4's secret area. As the Sand Bird flies toward the top of the tower, five clouds pass by. One of these clouds holds a1-Up Mushroom, while the other four contain the Blue Coins. The Sand Bird does not make another appearance after this. The remains of its egg can still be viewed inside the Shine Tower, but access to it has been blocked by a wooden grate.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
InSuper Mario Galaxy 2, the Sand Bird[4] appears only in theSlipsand Galaxy, in the missionSailing the Sandy Seas. This time, it is a bird-shaped raft that is made of sand parts that disappear when hit bycacti and enemy attacks, such as aMagikoopa's beams orHoming Chomps. However, they reappear after some seconds. Within the mission, Mario orLuigi must ride the Sand Bird to avoid falling into thequicksand that makes up the surface of its planet until he reaches aPower Star.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | おおすなどり[5][6] Ōsunadori | Great Sand Bird | Super Mario Sunshine |
| 大砂鳥[4] Ōsunadori | Super Mario Galaxy 2 | ||
| French (NOE) | Oiseau de Sable[5] | Sand Bird | |
| German | Sandvogel[5] | Sandbird | |
| Italian | Uccello di Sabbia[5] | Sand Bird | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Pájaro de Arena[5] | Sand Bird |
References
- ^"(...) Actually, it not only holds the egg, it also keeps it warm. (...)" – Pianta professor.Super Mario Sunshine.
- ^"(...) They gather the sun's rays and reflect them at the tower. They've been doing that for over 100 years! Isn't that wild? (...)" – Pianta professor.Super Mario Sunshine.
- ^"(...) That's what the professor studying the Shine Tower said..." –Sand Cabana proprietress.Super Mario Sunshine.
- ^abSuper Mario Galaxy 2 internal filename (SystemData/ObjNameTable.arc/ObjNameTable.tbl); the equivalent string of "SandBird" (en_name) is「大砂鳥」(jp_name)
- ^abcdeIn-game name for "The Sand Bird is Born."
- ^Sakai, Kazuya (Ambit), kikai, Akinori Sao, Junko Fukuda, Kunio Takayama, and Ko Nakahara (Shogakukan), editors (2015). "Super Mario Sunshine" in 『スーパーマリオブラザーズ百科: 任天堂公式ガイドブック』. Tokyo:Shogakukan (Japanese). ISBN978-4-09-106569-8. Page 101.
