Bird (Donkey Kong series)

Kuro (クロ, lit. "Black", can also be romanized as "Crow",) are enemies in Donkey Kong for the Game Boy, that resemble crows. 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 behave much like Kaibādo and Hōkusu. All of these enemies draw inspiration from Nitpickers, enemies found in the classic Donkey Kong Jr. arcade game. In particular, Kuro are similar to the raven-like birds 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 enemies of Donkey Kong Jr. might be directly related to each other.