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The mourning bird is a stunning beautiful bird, and the subject of a sad legend.
Spoiler
According to legend, a thousand years ago there lived a beautiful young princess. She had beautiful black hair that flowed down her back and reached her anckles, and pale skin as flawless as could be. She was marrired to the younger brother of the king, and they had three beautiful children. She believed she was content, until her kingdom hosted a ball and she met the crown prince of another land. She fell in love with him, and they had an affair. Soon after, she realised she had fallen pregnant, and told the prince. He promised her that he would find a way for her to be able to be with him, so that they could be a family. She told him to do whatever he thought was nessesary, for she thought herself in love and wanted to be with him.
One night she returned home from spending the day with her lover, and found that the door to her chambers was ajar. She screamed when she pushed it open, and found the dead bodies of her husband and children on her bed. There was a note that told her that she was now free of her old family, and that she could now join her lover and make a new one. Seeing how much of a monster that her lover was, the princess could not go to him. Instead she feld into the forest in tears, and ran until she could run no longer.
As she lay crying on the forest floor, she heard the sounds of hounds and horses, which was surely the crown prince and his men come to get her. So she cried out to the forest, begging that some entity save her. And so a cloaked figgure apeared before her. He told her that it was her own fault that her family was murdered, but he would give her one last chance to protect herself and her children growing in her womb. She begged him to do whatever he could to help her, so he cast a spell. After he finished, he warned her than she would still be punished, and she would mourn for her lost family for the rest of her life, as would all her decendants, and any who could hear their cried. And so just as the crown prince and his knights rode into the clearing, the princess transformed into the first Mourning bird, and flew away.
As the legend goes, she went on to lay twenty eggs, ten that hatched male and ten that hatched female, and all Mourning birds are their decendants.
One night she returned home from spending the day with her lover, and found that the door to her chambers was ajar. She screamed when she pushed it open, and found the dead bodies of her husband and children on her bed. There was a note that told her that she was now free of her old family, and that she could now join her lover and make a new one. Seeing how much of a monster that her lover was, the princess could not go to him. Instead she feld into the forest in tears, and ran until she could run no longer.
As she lay crying on the forest floor, she heard the sounds of hounds and horses, which was surely the crown prince and his men come to get her. So she cried out to the forest, begging that some entity save her. And so a cloaked figgure apeared before her. He told her that it was her own fault that her family was murdered, but he would give her one last chance to protect herself and her children growing in her womb. She begged him to do whatever he could to help her, so he cast a spell. After he finished, he warned her than she would still be punished, and she would mourn for her lost family for the rest of her life, as would all her decendants, and any who could hear their cried. And so just as the crown prince and his knights rode into the clearing, the princess transformed into the first Mourning bird, and flew away.
As the legend goes, she went on to lay twenty eggs, ten that hatched male and ten that hatched female, and all Mourning birds are their decendants.
Colouring: The feathers on their bodies are silver, and those on their tail, neck and chest are black. The long feathers behind their eyes are blue on females and red on males. Their legs and beak are red.
Lifecycle: Males and females mate for life, but after mating the females fly away and hide from their mate. Males will try and find them, and spend the six months that the female is raising their young trying to find her. No matter how many years they have been mated, the female will never trust the male with their young, and the male will never learn to give up looking for her. If the male does find the female before the young are ready to leave the nest the female will abandon them.
Sound: The cry of a Mourning bird is incredibly sad. While hearing it cry once has no lasting effect, hearing it cry several times can upset most people, and hearing a whole flock crying will cause anyone hearing it to sob and cry uncontrollably for hours. It is said that if the cry of a Mourning bird is heard at a funeral, or by a ghost, it will show the deceased that they will be truly mourned and missed, and will help them pass on, and can even cause the undead to return to their graves.
Raised by Magi: Magi who wish to raise these birds must cast a spell on them that nullifies its cry's effects on humans to avoid the entire keep from bursting into tears. Magi raised birds tend to be happier, and sometimes hand raised breeding pairs will even raise their eggs together rather than their usual way, which also seems to result in happier birds.
Example of colour (female)
thank you for the amazing gifts 
