Crow
B crow 
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|---|---|
| Difficulty | 6 |
| Attacks | |
| Base level | 4 |
| Base experience | 62 |
| Speed | 20 |
| Base AC | 6 |
| Base MR | 0 |
| Alignment | 0 (neutral) |
| Frequency (by normal means) | 2 (Quite rare) |
| Genocidable | Yes |
| Weight | 40 |
| Nutritional value | 20 |
| Size | tiny |
| Resistances | none |
| Resistances conveyed | none |
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A crow:
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A crow, B, is a type of monster that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack. The crow is an oviparous and carnivorous bird with an elongated head, wings and clawed feet. Crows are capable of flight, can be seen via infravision, and wander randomly while moving similar to the other monsters in their monster class. If a song is played on a tooled horn via the musicalize spell skill, tame crows may harmonize with the song while hostile crows will start a counter-song.
A crow has a bite attack and a claw attack.
The spirit Malphas has a special affinity for crows.
Generation
Randomly-generated crows are always created as hostile, and may appear in large groups.
A hero with Malphas bound can summon a tame crow at will.
Crows can appear as minions of Velka, Goddess of Sin.
Kicking a tree that is present on the ground floor of the Windowless Tower or Medusa's Island has a 1⁄3 chance of generating a one-time group of 2-6 hostile crows around the tree if they are not extinct or genocided, with the amount dependent on the hero's luck.
Six crows are placed randomly on the the Sea during level creation.
Deminymphs that are given "undead hunter/madwoman" hybrid kits and are generated with a blade of mercy will also be given a metal mask of a crow.
Origin
The word "crow" refers to the common name for one of many species within the genus Corvus, and may be used more broadly as a synonym for all of the genus. Said genus also includes ravens and rooks: the term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait, but is rather a general grouping for larger-sized species of Corvus. The genus Corvus makes up a third of the species in the family Corvidae, and can be found on all continents with the exception of South America, Antarctica and several islands.
The sizes of Corvus species range from 34 cm (13 in) to 60–70 cm (24–28 in), and they tend to have slender and robust appearances: a crow typically has a short and wedge-shaped tail, strong legs, small and rounded heads, and strong, pointed conical beaks that are elongated and have a slightly curved end towards the bottom. Crows are usually black in coloration, with some species having shiny plumage and others having white or gray areas on the neck or torso. Crow clutches are around 3-9 eggs, with nesting lasting between 20 and 40 days—a crow's nest is made of materials such as twigs, electrical wire, metal strips, plastic pieces, and other small items. While many crow species form long-term monogamous pair bonds, extra-pair mating is not unusual, and juveniles and young from previous years often help nesting pairs protect a nest and feed nestlings.
Crows are highly intelligent birds known for their problem-solving, tool use and construction, and social behavior. Studies have shown that crows can recognize and remember individual human faces, and share information with other crows about potential threats. Crows also live in social groups and communicate with one another using a variety of vocalizations. Some crows may live to the age of 20, with the oldest known American crow in the wild aged almost 30 years; the oldest documented captive crow died at age 59. The collective name for a group of crows is a "murder", which is the basis for the crow's tendency to appear in large groups (and incidentally hints at what awaits an unfortunate hero caught in a crow swarm).
Crows are omnivorous, rather than carnivorous as they are portrayed in dNetHack, and their diets are very diverse: they eat almost any food, including other birds, fruits, nuts, mollusks, earthworms, seeds, frogs, eggs, nestlings, mice, and carrion. The origin of placing scarecrows in grain fields resulted from incessant damage and scavenging by crows' incessant damaging and scavenging, although crows also assist farmers by eating insects otherwise attracted to their crops. The phrase "to eat crow" is a idiom based on the crow's carrion-eating diet (which is presumed to make its meat repulsive) and refers to the humiliation that comes from admitting being wrong after taking a strong position, with the emotion being just as hard to swallow metaphorically.
Messages
- You eat crow!
- You ate a crow corpse or tin.
- <The crow> screeches!
- You were chatting to a hostile crow.
- <The crow> squawks.
- You were chatting to a crow that was not hostile.
- <The crow> screaks!
- You caused a tame crow distress.
