Need a curse and a plot for owlin owlets being born as owls instead of owlin

Heya,

One of my players is an owlin from the feywild and he has gone to Candlekeep to seek information regarding why in his village more and more owlets are being born as owls, not owlin.

I am thinking a curse is the reason, however I've never DMed with a curse in someone's backstory or plot so any and all advice about where to start would be appreciated. 

Is a curse just a high level spell? Is there somewhere in the lore someone who would be unhappy with owlins and want them to stop procreating?

Looking forward to speaking soon.

Hello,

With the curse of an entire race, I would look into the lore of gods and devils, it seems like the ability of a greater being that could change an entire race or clan of people to forever curse them for whatever reasons. Below I am attaching a video of a guy who does a bunch of DnD type creative; named Runesmith. Specifically, watch the episode below (Basically Kenku), he creates a backstory for the race: Kenku, hopefully, you can take a few ideas from his process of thinking.

I hope it helps with some ideas you can imagine up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDeskZ-wEw4

Thank you. I’ll check it out.

Seem's like Fey shenanigans to me.  There just seems something inherently kind of silly and pun like with turning owlins into owls which aligns well with fey. Devils, demons and gods are an options but they are often very grandiose and serious in their motives and consequences. I'd expect them to do something more like still borns or grotesque mutations.  While fey are allot sillier and would turn them into owls just because they look like them. There are lots of silly nonsense fey plots I can think of which would create this kind of effect:

• Maybe the local  Harengon  arch fey ( the easter bunny)  who is in charge of delivering all the eggs has gone missing, some pixies are trying to do it instead but are failing to bring the right eggs.
• Maybe the local arch fey just only wants animals in their domain and is turning people into owls because they're cuter, there could be a fey succession battle over it.
• Maybe they were originally owls transformed to owlins by some fey deal that's now failing for some reason. 
• They stole something from the arch fey Zybilna and by the law of reciprocity she has taken something in return 

There are lots of ways to do it but basically the fey would do it because of a whim, some unknown rule, some strange bureaucracy or some forgotten pact.

Maybe lycanthropy related? A were-owl on the loose, but since owlin are already so owl-like that when they get bitten by a were-owl they just turn into an owl? Kind of a humorous explanation so it might not fit your campaign's tone if it's meant to be more serious, but there it is. 

im thinking ancestor was cursed by a necromancer

i agree with BaB DungeonMaster but i think it could be an ancestor cursed by a necromancer [see "bestow curse 3rd level necromancy]

Love this idea,

I would also consider flowers that are in bloom or something living that has been dropped in the village well.