Shroudwing

These unsettling birds are thick-bodied, long-legged creatures standing 4 to 5 feet tall with an 8-foot wingspan. They possess black feathers, clouded white eyes, and a menacing obsidian bill hooked at the tip like a curled claw. Sometimes called soul-eater crows, shroudwings are carrion feeders known to roam graveyards and sites of collective death, absorbing lingering spirits and consuming the decaying corpses. They can be found digging up grave sites, shoveling the earth and breaking into caskets or tombs with their massive, hooked beaks, as well as lurking at execution sites, burial mounds, or feeding on travelers' corpses left behind on roadsides.

Due to their size, shape, and propensity for burial grounds, it isn't uncommon for a shroudwing to be mistaken for a grieving widow when seen at a distance—only when an unfortunate creature gets close enough does it discover the danger it's in. Though not predatory or outright aggressive, shroudwings are exceptionally territorial; they'll protect and defend both their feeding site as well as their nesting area from anyone who might trespass upon it.

While many might know these unusual birds by name and sight, even more know the shroudwing by sound. When threatened, the shroudwing emits a haunting, fear-inducing death rattle that can be heard for miles. They prefer nesting in covered brush, and their mating season occurs in the winter months. Shroudwings have a particular fondness for the collection of skulls and have been known to decorate nests with them as well as to use them in mating rituals, with the male presenting the female with the freshest and cleanest skull it can find.