#0198 · Generation II
What Animal Is Murkrow Based On?
Murkrow most closely resembles the Carrion Crow.
Closest animal
Carrion CrowConfidence
Strong animal match
How Murkrow compares to the real Carrion Crow
Murkrow's official category is the Darkness Pokémon. AnimalDex rates its resemblance to the Carrion Crow as a strong match, meaning the design reads directly as this animal. Murkrow is a black crow with a hat-shaped crest and a reputation for bad luck. Its glossy black plumage and stout beak match the carrion crow, a common black crow of folklore.
The comparison covers looks and behavior cues, not biology: Murkrow is a fictional Pokémon, while the Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) is a real animal. On AnimalDex the real Carrion Crow scores 43 for dominance, 56 for speed, 21 for size and 70 for intelligence, out of 100, so its strongest trait is intelligence. AnimalDex also links Murkrow to the Common Raven, covered below.
Official category: Darkness Pokemon. This page is an AnimalDex comparison for real-animal resemblance, not an official design-origin claim.
Meet the real Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
Farmland, sea shores and city streets all suit this adaptable crow. On the coast it carries mussels, crabs and whelks into the air and drops them onto rocks or roads, repeating the drop until the shell breaks.
How to recognize it
- Entirely black plumage with a green-blue gloss
- Stout, curved black bill with feathered base
- Square-ended tail in flight
Real Carrion Crow facts
- In parts of northern Spain, young crows often stay on their parents' territory for years and help raise later broods.
- Where its range meets that of the hooded crow, a narrow band of hybrids runs through Scotland, Denmark and central Europe to northern Italy.
- Diet
- Almost anything: earthworms, insect larvae and grain from fields, carrion including roadkill, eggs and nestlings of other birds, small mammals, frogs, shore animals and human food waste. It feeds mostly on the ground, probing turf with the bill.
- Lifespan
- Typically about 4 years in the wild; some ringed birds have lived well over 10 years.
- Predators and threats
- Goshawks, peregrines and eagle owls take some adults, and martens and other crows raid nests. Crows gather to mob raptors and owls noisily. People shoot and trap them as farm pests in many areas.
| Dominance | Speed | Size | Intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43/100 | 56/100 | 21/100 | 70/100 |
Meet the real Common Raven
Corvus corax
Common Raven teaches Foresight through a mind that stores value before hunger arrives. Its food caches, watchful intelligence, social awareness, and flexible problem-solving turn the future into something prepared for, hidden, remembered, and recovered.
How to recognize it
- Food caching: ravens hide surplus meals for later use.
- Memory and observation: they track both their own stores and the attention of others.
- Flexible intelligence: they solve problems across wild, mountain, coastal, and human-edge habitats.
- Diet
- Carrion, insects, eggs, small animals, grains, fruit, and human scraps.
- Lifespan
- Wild ravens commonly live 10 to 15 years, and ringed birds have passed 20; captive birds have reached 40 or more.
- Predators and threats
- Eagles, owls, larger carnivores, nest predators, and rival ravens create pressure around food and nesting. Caching only works when memory and secrecy stay ahead of thieves.
| Dominance | Speed | Size | Intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48/100 | 55/100 | 28/100 | 92/100 |
Murkrow animal FAQ
- What animal is Murkrow based on?
- Murkrow most closely resembles the Carrion Crow. Murkrow is a black crow with a hat-shaped crest and a reputation for bad luck. Its glossy black plumage and stout beak match the carrion crow, a common black crow of folklore.
- Is Murkrow a real animal?
- No. Murkrow is a fictional Pokémon. Its closest real counterpart is the Carrion Crow (Corvus corone), which AnimalDex covers with real field-guide facts.
- What is the real Carrion Crow like?
- Farmland, sea shores and city streets all suit this adaptable crow. On the coast it carries mussels, crabs and whelks into the air and drops them onto rocks or roads, repeating the drop until the shell breaks.
- Which other Pokémon are based on the Carrion Crow?
- AnimalDex also pairs Honchkrow with the Carrion Crow.