Murkrow is anavianPokémon with black feathers. Its crooked, yellow beak and the three, feathery tufts on its head resemble a witch's nose and hat respectively. The feathery crest is smaller on the female than on the male. It has semi-circular, red eyes with white sclerae and pupils and a spiky collar of feathers around its neck. The shaggy feathers on its tail resemble the end of a broom, and there is a thin, red band at the base of the tail. Its yellow feet have four toes, three facing forward and one backward.
Murkrow awakens at dusk and moves during the night. It has a fondness for anything sparkly, and it will go as far as fighting with other Pokémon, such asMeowth orGabite, in order to gain their stashes. However, it is also known to give these sparkly objects toTrainers that it is fond of. Whenever it is chased, it loses the attacker by leading it down dark mountain trails, and sometimes it does this to travelers as a mean-spirited prank. Its thieving and nocturnal nature has led it to become representative of misfortune. It was believed that saying, "Workrum, Workrum—bad luck, don't come," would serve as a protective incantation to drive away bad luck caused by seeing a Murkrow. It is possible to train a Murkrow to repeat words,as seen underTeam Rocket's ownership. Murkrow usually live in flocks (referred to as "murders") amongstforests and swamps. Murkrow may also act as a servant ofHonchkrow; with groups of at least 100 flying in at Honchkrow's call. There is a saying for Murkrow that goes, "Get home before the Murkrow fly." As mentioned inSleep Style Dex, Murkrow has been seen falling asleep before it can hide all of its shiny objects. It is believed the reason is due to Murkrow becoming exhausted from searching and hiding said objects. Murkrow has four different sleep styles it sleeps in:Preening Sleep,Big-Yawn Sleep,Gem-Gathering Sleep, andAtop-Belly Sleep.
Feared and loathed by many, it is believed to bring misfortune to all those who see it at night.(Pokémon Red, Silver, or Crystal inserted) It is said that when chased, it lures its attacker onto dark mountain trails where the foe will get lost.(Pokémon Blue, Gold, or Yellow inserted)
Murkrow was feared and loathed as the alleged bearer of ill fortune. ThisPokémon shows strong interest in anything that sparkles or glitters. It will even try to steal rings from women.
Murkrow were feared as the alleged bearers of ill fortune. It shows strong interest in anything that sparkles. It will even try to steal rings from women.
Murkrow was feared and loathed as the alleged bearer of ill fortune. This Pokémon shows strong interest in anything that sparkles or glitters. It will even try to steal rings from women.
Widely shunned as a bearer of ill fortune. Upon crossing paths with this creature, I've been told one must chant “Workrum, Workrum—bad luck, don't come” as a protective incantation.
Murkrow fly throughout thenature park after sunset, looking for the glint of shiny objects in the darkness. They’re fearless creatures that won’t hesitate to tease Pokémon much larger than them.
It has a weakness for shiny things and hides any sparkling object it finds in a secret location. Sometimes it falls asleep before it can hide all its jewels-perhaps because it's worn out.
InHocus Pokémon,Lily has a Murkrow that often sat on her shoulder and helped her with spells.
InLike a Meowth to a Flame, multiple Murkrow attacked Ash andhis friends for unknown reasons as they were searching for a restaurant. Pikachu tried to scare the Murkrow away withThunderbolt, but they kept on coming back.Tyson's Meowth then arrived and got rid of the Murkrow by usingFury Swipes on them.
InPK20, a Murkrow stole a large diamond ring piece that Pikachu andMeowth's groups were after. Murkrow accidentally dropped the piece later on.
InShow Me the Metal!, a Murkrow attempted to steal a nut from one of theMeltan, which had fallen on top of aPokémon School building.Rowlet eventually retrieved it and gave it back to the Meltan.
InGot Meltan?, a Murkrow stole the Meltan that befriended Rowlet. Though Rowlet got Meltan back, the Murkrow was revealed to still have Meltan's nut.
A Murkrow appeared inPT17. It befriendedHiro after they escaped from aSkarmory, but was separated from him after he was sent to a hospital. Eventually, Hiro returned home, and they reunited after he got his memories back.
In theNational Pokédex, Murkrow is listed before Misdreavus, but Murkrow's Evolution,Honchkrow, is listed after Misdreavus's Evolution,Mismagius.
InPokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Murkrow is programmed to be able to learnPunishment throughbreeding, but no other Pokémon in theFlying Group can pass down Punishment as anEgg Move in those games.Vullaby andMandibuzz are the only Flying Egg Group Pokémon that can learn Punishment, but they cannot pass down the move due to being female-only species.
Origin
Murkrow seems to be based on acrow, more specifically thecarrion crow. Its crest can be taken to resemble a pointed hat, its beak a hooked nose, and its tail the bristles of a broom, giving it a resemblance to awitch in flight. It may also be inspired by witches'familiars, which often can be crows or ravens. Its crest also resembles that of theblack hawk-eagle. In regards to itsGeneration IVEvolution, it can also be taken to resemble a gang member under a head Honchkrow. Its ability to mimic voices is referencing crows' and ravens' ability to imitate other sounds.
Name origin
Murkrow may be a combination ofmurky ormurder (a group of crows) andcrow.
Yamikarasu may be a combination of 闇yami (darkness) and 烏karasu (crow).
This Pokémon article is part ofProject Pokédex, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.