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Maned Crows

Welcome to the Maned Crows hub!

Although this species wasn't the most popular, I realized ... I wanted to make 'em. And I think it's a good one to start with, seeing as they're going to be the easiest ones to get going, so probably a good first-time species!

To start with, I've made five designs, and four of them, I'm going to give away for free - all you have to do is write a little bit of lore for the character you want to adopt, and I will pick an entry that I feel shows a good amount of enthusiasm - I would prefer if these didn't all just end up collecting dust :3 Each adoptable has its own prompt, so make sure to read below before posting!

I'm probably going to prioritize entries that fit the species well, so you can click here to read more about maned crows

Available Designs:

Write to adopt

Maned crows are a social species, often living in large family groups. Tell us who this maned crow would be friends with if you got to adopt it. Feel free to use your own characters, or make up a backstory that doesn't involve named characters:

Use the following template to adopt this maned crow:

This maned crow is known by a pre-existing name - "the brass-beaked menace". This name is too long and advanced to be the kind of name that a maned crow might have in a colony. Why is it called that, and by whom? Feel free to use your own characters, or simply allude to a backstory.

Use the following template to adopt this maned crow:

Maned crows are mischievious, fun-loving and playful birds. They're very social, curious, and smart enough to learn to play tricks and mimic voices. This maned crow, however, is a bit of an outsider, not quite like most other maned crows. Tell us why.

Use the following template to adopt this maned crow:

Offer to adopt

If you'd prefer to simply adopt a maned crow without all the writing, I have OTAs below!

Seafoam Flecks

Autobuy: 12 USD

Autumn wood

Autobuy: 10 USD

Malachite

Autobuy: 12 USD

Feel free to offer character trades (I prefer ferals), art, money, or a mix of the above. I'm not looking for MYO tickets, but I might trade for other existing closed species designs.

Traits

Mane types:

Maned crows can have the following naturally occuring mane types: Straight - Curly - Wavy - Short - Silky - Fluffy. The straight mane type is the most common, but none are considered particularly rare.

Eye types:

Maned crows always have green eyes, but they may have slight variations.

The regular eye type is a bright, saturated green with a yellowish shine, and is most common.

The dull eye type is a little darker, and characterized by lacking the yellow shine. Instead, the shine is mostly colourless. This one is more uncommon, but still fairly widespread.

The light eye type is a lighter green with even more yellow than regular eyed crows. Light-eyed maned crows are often a little more light-sensitive than their darker-eyed peers, and is the rarest eye type - usually less than one in five maned crows will have this eye type.

Leg bands:

Some maned crows have leg bands for various reasons. These can be to monitor populations, to mark a bird as being a pet, to log migratory routes, and so on. However, the maned crow won't know what they're for, so you don't have to know either. All you need to know is that maned crows love them - they're shiny and often colourful, and maned crows love extra bling.

A maned crow can have up to three bands in total.

Special Traits:

Some maned crows come with special, unique traits, usually hand-drawn. These are somewhat rare, only occasionally available - however, if you've adopted a maned crow without such a trait, you can get one added!

For 5 USD, you can get your maned crow a random special trait that I design and draw onto their reference.

For 10 USD, you can get your maned crow a custom special trait that fits within the species limits. This can be a special type of mane, accessories of most any kind, as well as visible injuries or signs of age. Once the addition has been accepted and payment received, you can describe it and I will draw it onto your reference, or you can draw it on the reference sheet yourself, then send it to me, then I will sign it to make it official!

For 15 USD, you can get your maned crow a custom special trait of any kind, as long as you can provide an in-universe explanation for it. Wizards are fine. Once the addition has been accepted and payment received, you can describe it and I will draw it onto your reference, or you can draw it on the reference sheet yourself, then send it to me, then I will sign it to make it official!

About maned crows

Behaviors: Fun-loving and mischievious by nature. Love to mimic voices and pull at tails. They engage in play behaviors, and can be seen doing silly stuff whereever they go, whether that be hanging upside-down from branches or clothes lines, playing catch with each other, or sliding down snowy roofs. They're awfully curious and often steal stuff just to see it up close, and leaving it in weird places once they're done. It is also common for them to steal stuff from people just to have them chase after them. However, they're not usually trying to be mean - they're simply full of beans and want to play.

Maned crows are all about attention. They preen often to keep their manes and tails in perfect condition, and will often engage in flashy displays. It can be to show dominance, impress a mate, as a bonding activity, or sometimes, apparently just for the joy of it.

A maned crow with accessories is often the source of much awe and jealousy among its peers. A maned crow who has been banded is often the source of much attention, both from potential mates and impressionable youngsters, but also from envious colonymates who think that if you get a fancy bracelet, you should at least share your mane hair with the rest of us. Yoink!

Social: Maned crows are a social species. In nature, they live in family groups, usually at least a mated pair, sometimes with their babies, but groups can grow to massive sizes, up to 50 individuals have been observed. However, family groups do not have to be literal "families", and a maned crow often bonds with other species and treats them as they would biological family members. A maned crow without a family group of its own will often try to bond with pretty much any creature nearby, with varying success.

Maned crows are not usually bred to be pets - they're rowdy and loud and not easy to keep happy, but mostly, they're just too plentiful for anyone to want to buy and keep them. However, wild maned crows will often form friendships with humans.

To keep their manes and especially tails clean, they preen often. Communal groups will preen each other. If the maned crow has human or other animal friends, it will to try preen them too.

Reputation: Some people consider them nuisances because they are mischievious and loud, but many think their bright colours and silly ways are delightful. Groups of over ten maned crows usually end up being a nuisance, however - not only are they loud, but they also enable each other.

Voices: Maned crows communicate with different squawks, crows, and clacking and cackling noises, but can also sing simple melodies. They have distinct names for each other, though humans will often name them too, and the maned crow often adopts that name. Maned crows can also learn to mimic voices like a parrot, and often use this to charm or to play tricks on people.

Intelligence: Maned crows are animals and act accordingly. However, they are very smart animals. They can communicate with each other, and they remember faces and hold grudges. They can learn to understand many words, and have even been observed using tools. Trading is common among them, either with each other, or attempted trading with other creatures

Nest weaving:Their nest weaving is a very important bonding activity between mates, and no holds are barred when it comes to gaining materials. Polite maned crows will trade, either their own mane hair to trade with other crows, or food and trinkets, to try and trade with people or other animals, with varying success. Most maned crows, however, will straight up just steal, both from each other's nests, each other's tails, other animals, and even humans, and they are not above trying to tear out a lock of hair that is still attached. Bits of string and colourful plastic often finds its way into the nests in modern times. Providing nest weaving materials is a great way to bond closely with a maned crow.

Rules for adoption:

• If you have adopted a free maned crow, you cannot resell it for profit. You are allowed to gift it away or trade it away. If you've bought art, you can resell it for what you spent on commissions. However, please only adopt a free maned crow if you are expecting to keep it. I'm giving these away to people who want to take part in the species.
• If you want to rehome a free adopt, please consider contacting me and passing it back! I'll put it up for adoption again, so someone else can join the species.
• If you have bought a maned crow or traded for it via OTA, you are allowed to resell it for as much cash as you'd like. I only ask that you directly link back to the maned crows thread here on Toyhouse if you do.
• Maned crows are for non-commercial use
• If you want to break the lore or make exceptions, that is permitted! Please try and give it a reason, though - even if that reason is basically just "a wizard did it". We all know how wizards are. However, do not change the design itself without direct permission from me.
• Maned crows do not have a set world of their own, so you are allowed to incorporate them into pretty much any setting. If combined with any other closed species, please make sure the creator of the other species is comfortable with this beforehand, though.
• If you're in doubt about anything, please don't hesitate to ask!
• This is a closed species, and you are not permitted to make your own, unless special permission is given

People who own maned crows under special permissions:

• seventeendeer
  adopted a maned crow before the species revamp, before the lore was set in stone. Has permission to alter the design as much as she wants.