Bird (Donkey Kong series)

Kuro (クロ, lit. "Black") are stubby avian creatures that form an enemy species 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. Altogether, these bring Kuro birds a strong resemblance to crows.

A single Kuro nest is available in the game, and it can be seen 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. There is no mean of combat against Kuro within the context they appear in, and it is best Mario simply dodges them, as an interference with these enemies results in losing a life, to the plumber's disadvantage. Kuro sometimes attempt to bombard Mario with eggs whenever the said hero walks underneath the avian foes. Unless they are avoided, or deflected (and deductively neutralized) with a handstand, these eggs can plummet down on Mario and terminate him.

Kuro behave much like Kaibādo and Hōkusu, bird enemies that star in the same game. All of these enemies draw inspiration from Nitpickers, enemies found in the classic Donkey Kong Jr. arcade game. In particular, Kuro birds are similar to the raven-like birds that represented hinderances 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 remake of 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 foes of Donkey Kong Jr. might be directly related to each other.