Bird (Donkey Kong series)

Kuro (クロ, lit. "Black", also a play on the English word "Crow") are corvid enemies in Donkey Kong for the Game Boy. A significant trait of Kuro is their black coloration, hence their name. They sport thick beaks and flap their wings in a brisk pace while flying.

A single Kuro nest can be seen in the game, in Stage 9-4 of the Tower, a boss stage. It spawns two Kuro birds on-screen at a time. After rising slowly from their nest, Kuro fly horizontally across the room, moving down a short distance and turning back upon meeting the room's limits. They perform three complete flights, and flee outside the map of the stage afterwards. Kuro can not be practically defeated, as the stage they appear in presents no means of combat against them. They attempt to drop eggs on Mario if they fly above him. Unless they are avoided, or deflected with a handstand, these eggs can plummet down on the character and cause him to lose a life.

Kuro are identical in behavior to Hawks and Kaibādo. All three types of birds are successors of Nitpickers, avian enemies from the Donkey Kong Jr. arcade game. In particular, Kuro are similar to the raven-like Nitpickers in Stage 4 of the said game, both in demeanor and appearance. The setting of Stage 9-4, where Kuro appear, in the Game Boy Donkey Kong is also reminiscent to that of Stage 4 in Donkey Kong Jr., as they both involve birds traveling across chains and the protagonist having to carry out a similar mission, further suggesting that Kuro and the raven-like Nitpickers of Donkey Kong Jr. might be one and the same.