A recon bird refers to a Great Hawk, Pigeon or other bird that has been fitted with recon equipment and a camera used to transmit what it observes. There is also the option of adding other things to it to aid in its mission such as armor, weapons, secondary propulsion, etc. The bird is trained to respond to commands and is controlled by the owner or in some cases the one renting the creature. They may also be sold for permanent use by the consumer.
Creatures used by the black-masked group for reconnaissance, perhaps similar to the mountains doves with TV eyes mounted in them that Lord Vlad Balazs uses.
The "Bird Man" and Pikk are known to sell these and are competitors in the village of Ligatem.