Crovin

Those birds have always creeped me out the way they watched me when I walked through the conservatory. Almost like they were waiting for the day when Nadia got tired of me hanging around with Ayla and let them sink their claws into me.
— Minerva Rindimish

Crovins are a species of bird native to Havenvern Island that reside in the thick forest that covers the island. They are able to darken the area around them through Power of Light in order to escape predators or confuse prey. This makes them just one of the many dangerous enmanity-possessing species that call the forest home. A large group of crovins is referred to as a void.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Crovins are large birds with dark gray feathers covering their bodies. Their legs and beaks are a dark blue color and their eyes are often described as a foggy blue. Crovins will often appear black due to the dark haze that surrounds them because of their use of Light.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Crovins are omnivorous, subsisting primarily on nuts, seeds, berries, insects, and carrion. Crovins may also hunt small rodents, though this is usually done more for amusement than as a substantial food source. While not very common, void may band together to overwhelm large prey such as wild boars, deer, or even humans.

Behaviour

The primary social structure of crovins is the mating pair; crovins mate for life, but roost in large voids of these mating pairs. These voids are often territorial toward other crovins and species that wander into their territory. A mating pair that has been excluded from their roosting void may win favor with a new one through presentation of gifts, such as food or shiny trinkets. When threatened or hunting, crovins will gather the light from around them to obscure their movements. The area of this effect differs between individuals, but it is usually between six inches and one foot from the tips of the bird's feathers. Often, the territory of a roosting void will be obscured by this effect. If outside their territory, a single crovin or small void poses no real threat to humans, though they have been known to follow people through for many miles.

Additional Information

Domestication

While not widely domesticated, a line of crovins has been bred by the Loshkva for generations. They are primarily kept as pets, occasionally gifted to those that the family holds in high esteem, but rumor has it the family has also trained them to be used against political enemies and other detractors.