Sith familiar

The Sith familiar was a type of Sith-developed creature that resembled a small scavenger bird. Familiars were created by the Sith—an order of dark-side adherents—and were produced via Sith alchemy. A familiar was bonded via the Force to the individual who created it, which allowed the master of a familiar to experience the sights and sounds encountered by his or her familiar and to project Force powers via the creatures, as if the master was at the familiar's location in person.

Text and facts from the “Sith familiar” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.