"Maybe if they'd been flying horses or such, but..."

He pauses, glancing around for something. Then, apparently spotting it, suddenly steps quickly towards a patch of low-growing foliage, swiftly reaching out to grab the rabbit/cat/bird hybrid critter that's been following him around the past time. The creature in question squawks and flails a bit in surprise as Merlin holds it up.

"Apparently, while most of these seem to be based on animals from the Earth I know, the bird portions originate from a species in another world entirely."