Eyecrows

The crows that plagued the Kingdom of Mor are something opf a mystery. None know from whence they came and the scholar of both beasts and history aver that they are no different to ordinary crows but acting under the influence of powers unknown.
Their name derives from their most notable behaviour - that of pecking the eyes from other living creatures. Had this been limited to wildlife it would have been bad; to livestock a threat to agriculture but as it included people they became a threat to society itself and this lead to their extermination in the Crow Crusade and their gradual journey into legend as memories of the lines of the crow-blind, walking from town to town begging for alms, each with their hand on the shoulder of the fellow inb front of them faded.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Specimens killed and preserved during the crusade have been much studied - in body, build and plumage they are indistinguishable from the crows common in the woodlands and plains of northern Tarusia. Their beaks however show slight differences with indications that they have been sharpened by rubbing on a stone - behaviour which has been reported on the few occasions when people have chanced to observe eyecrows. More subtle, and believed by some to be an artefact of the preservation process are changes in the brains of these birds: slightly larger, a denser texture and more folding of the outer membranes.

Additional Information

Social Structure

While many birds form flocks, and some form heirarchies, few if any have wider social structure. Many of the tales and records of Eyecrows point to their flocks being lead by a pair of crows, often referred to as the "Lord" and "Lady", who direct the flock, select the targets and take the prime targets. For those who favour the "unknown power" theory of their origin, these are the crows where tyhat power is strongest.

Domestication

Strange though it may seem, attempts were made to domesticate eyecrows with a view to using them as weapons of war. The terror that they would bring to any conflict would be undeniable, but fortunately these attempts achieved nothing beyond the blinding of those who would try such things.

Conservation Status

Unknown - if there is truth in the theory that they are ordinary crows under the influence of powers unknown then we must accept that there are potential[ eyecrows common across the land of the Kingdom and beyond. But reports of the characteristic behaviour are rare, since the Crow Crusade, perhaps one or two per generation. So in practical terms virtually extinct, but not extinct enough.

Origins

Three theories have been proposed to explain these birds:

1. That they are ordinary crows, sequestered by powers unknown to wreak disaster and carnage on mankind.
2. That they are a mutation or evolution of the crow which brought greater intelligence but warped behaviours.
3. That they are a hoax, cover story or folk distortion of the effects of raiders - behaviour so inhumane as to be blamed on inhuman creatures.

Of these, the third has popularity in areas that were unaffected by the Eyecrow Plague but most who study the historic records and specimens are split between the first two, generally based on their wider views about the arcane and supernatural.