Added in Races of the Wild, Raptoran are a race of shitty Aarakocra cosplayers. Physically they look like humans with wings, faces that vary between "human" and "slightly elf", and haircuts that evoke bird heads. They are centered on one thing: Their racial flight ability.
Raptorans start merely able to jump good and glide, plus the minor abilities of low-light vision, always knowing which way is north and getting a small boost to [air] spells. At 5HD they are able to fly for up to their constitution modifier in rounds (minimum 1), twice that if they accept becoming fatigued. They can reach tall heights by alternating between flying and gliding though if they keep it up for 10 minutes they are fatigued. At 10 HD they can fly at will. They can only fly in light armor unless they take the Raptoran Fighter kit which allows them to fly in medium armor at the cost of heavy armor proficiency they can't use anyways.
Interestingly, Raptorans fluff is built around this. Their flight is a result of a pact made with the elemental lords of air that blesses only the fittest. Their communities throw them out into the world when they hit their minimum starting age and don't expect them to return till they have enough HD to fly. They have super high birth rates to accommodate the natural losses that this produces; your typical raptoran woman will produce 4 children a year, and is fertile until the age of 150. Seriously, that's ratfolk tier breeding abilities! This gives the raptorans a natural reason for why an otherwise isolated race has common enough adventurers (And they ruined it by stating "raptorans rarely display any sort of greed". WotC clearly didn't understand what an adventurer is.) and also justifies how they haven't died out if they refuses to accept any members who haven't managed to reach a certain level/HD cap. Seriously, with how dangerous adventuring is, you gotta expect that a lot of raptorans die young. Another result of this is that Raptorans tend to have a high percentage of mid level NPCs.
They are described as favoring Barbarian (since it boosts their movement and con modifier), Druid (since they like nature), archery focused Fighters, Ranger (since they like nature and archery) and (when they occur) Sorcerer, with Ranger being the most common class amongst the sample community. Despite this, their Favored Class is Cleric for some bizarre reason. Since Raptoran can naturally fly and have difficulty flying with heavy armor they tend to focus on archery. To this end they have a special racial weapon called the foot bow, designed to be used while flying.
Raptorans are, unusually enough, one of the few player races in D&D that is explicitly hatched instead of mammal birth. The only particularly common other ones, Lizardfolk and Kobolds, were designed as bad guys not truely intended as player characters while Dragonborn were declared to birth like mammals to explain lizard boobs. Despite their ties to the elemental plane of air, Auran is not among their language options for some reason.
Dragonlance has its own version of the raptorans in the form of the kyrie, although they can at least claim seniority, having been around since the days of 2e at least.
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition races
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Player's Handbook
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Dwarf • Elf • Gnome • Half-Elf • Half-Orc • Halfling • Human
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Monster Manual I
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Aasimar • Blink Dog • Bugbear • Centaur • Giant, Hill • Gnoll • Goblin • Hobgoblin • Kobold • Lizardfolk • Minotaur • Ogre • Ogre Mage • Orc • Pixie • Tiefling • Satyr • Troglodyte • Troll • Unicorn
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Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
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Aasimar • Dwarf, Gold • Dwarf, Gray • Dwarf, Shield • Elf, Dark • Elf, Moon • Elf, Sun • Elf, Sun • Elf, Wild • Elf, Wood • Genasi, Air • Genasi, Earth • Genasi, Fire • Genasi, Water • Gnome, Deep • Gnome, Rock • Half-Elf • Half-Orc • Halfling, Ghostwise • Halfling, Lightfoot • Halfling, Strongheart • Human • Tiefling
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The Manual of the Planes
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Bariaur • Canoloth • Githyanki • Githzerai • Spinagon • Uridezu
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Oriental Adventures
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Bakemono • Dwarf • Elf • Gnome • Hengeyokai • Human • Kappa • Korobokuru • Naga, Asp • Naga, Chameleon • Naga, Cobra • Naga, Constrictor • Naga, Greensnake • Nezumi • Spirit Folk, Bamboo • Spirit Folk, River • Spirit Folk, Sea • Tasloi • Tengu, Crow-headed • Tengu, Human-headed • Tsuno • Vanara • Wang-Liang • Yeti • Yuki-onna
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Epic Level Handbook
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Mercane
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Monster Manual II
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Abeil, Queen • Abeil, Soldier • Abeil, Vassal • Avolakia • Bladeling • Braxat • Chaond • Desmodu • Durzagon • Firbolg • Fomorian • Giant, Forest • Giant, Mountain • Giant, Ocean • Giant, Sun • Glimmerskin • Ixitxachitl • Ixitxachitl, Vampiric • Loxo • Neogi • Ocean Strider • Scorpionfolk • Thri-kreen • Yak Folk • Zenythri
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Book of Vile Darkness
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Jerren • Vashar
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Savage Species
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Desmodu† • Half-Ogre • Loxo† • Thri-Kreen†
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Races of Faerun
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Aarakocra • Bugbear • Centaur • Dwarf, Arctic • Dwarf, Urdunnir • Dwarf, Wild • Elf, Aquatic • Elf, Winged • Fey'ri • Gnome, Forest • Goblin • Goblin, Dekanter • Half-Elf, Aquatic • Half-Elf, Dark • Hobgoblin • Kir-Lanan • Lizardfolk • Orc, Deep • Orc, Gray • Orc, Mountain • Tanarukk • Wemic • Yuan-ti Pureblood
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Fiend Folio
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Abrian • Canomorph, Haraknin • Canomorph, Shadurakul • Canomorph, Vultivore • Dark Creeper • Dark Stalker • Ethergaunt, Black • Ethergaunt, Red • Ethergaunt, White • Fensir • Fensir, Rakka • Feytouched • Jackal Lord • Kaorti • Keeper • Khaasta • Maeluth • Maug • Mechanatrix • Mongrelfolk • Nerra, Karaleem • Nerra, Sillit • Nerra, Varoot • Rilmani, Aurumach • Rilmani, Cuprilach • Rilmani, Ferrumach • Selkie • Shadar-kai • Shyft • Skulk • Spriggan • Wispling • Yuan-ti Anathema • Yurian
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Unapproachable East
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Elf, Star • Gnoll • Hagspawn • Nilshai • Spirit Folk, Mountain • Spirit Folk, River • Taer • Troll, Ice • Troll, Demon • Uthraki • Volodni
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v3.5 revision
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Shining South
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Cyclops† • Loxo • Tasloi • Thri-Kreen
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Races of Stone
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Dwarf • Gnome • Goliath
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Frostburn
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Domovoi† • Glacier Dwarf • Frost Folk† • Ice Gnome • Neanderthal • Snow Elf • Snow Goblin† • Tundra Halfling • Uldra
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Races of Destiny
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Half-Elf • Half-Orc • Human • Illumian
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Races of the Wild
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Elf • Halfling • Raptoran
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Sandstorm
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Asherati • Badlands Dwarf • Bhuka • Crucian† • Painted Elf • Scablands Half-Orc
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Stormwrack
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Aquatic Elf • Aquatic Half-Elf • Aventi • Darfellan • Hadozee • Seacliff Dwarf • Shoal Halfling • Wavecrest Gnome
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Races of the Dragon
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Dragonborn • Draconic • Half-Dragon • Kobold • Spellscale
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Dragon Magazine
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339 (Giff • Insectare • Scro)
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† Pseudo-Playable
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