In the mid-1930s, Curly Twyford was walking in the Mojave Desert of California. He saw a small crow in an abandoned nest. It was starving. It was making a dry mouth and was saying, "Oh, oh, oh." He thought - this orphaned child urgently needed food. He brought it home. He fed it with milk, fed it with eggs. With great love, he named the playful crow - Jimmy.

He trained him so meticulously for a year and a half that Jimmy learned to type on a typewriter. He not only learned to pick flowers, unzip zippers, turn pages of magazines, but also to light a cigarette.

Jimmy became able to understand hundreds of English words. It took him a week to learn a new useful word, and two weeks to learn two letters. Although crows do not have vocal cords, they can imitate human speech. Twyford claimed, “My Jimmy can do everything an 8-year-old can do.” Without saying a word, Jimmy, who was becoming proficient in everything, became a Hollywood ‘star’. Over the course of two decades, he got the opportunity to act in more than a thousand films.

Twyford is a well-known animal trainer in the film industry. He worked diligently in this field in the 1940s and 50s. Jimmy’s debut film was ‘You Can’t Take It With You’ (1938), directed by Frank Capra. Capra was so impressed by his acting that Jimmy appeared in every one of his subsequent films.

Jimmy's most important role can be seen in 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946). Jimmy has shown his ability in many films such as 'The Bride Came COD' (1941), 'Arsenic and Old Lace' (1944), 'Tower of London' (1946). Jimmy's last film was 'Three Ring Circus' (1954). American actor James Stewart said, 'Jimmy is the smartest actor on the set. He doesn't have to do as many retakes for him as the rest of us.'

How did Jimmy become so smart?

In particular, birds belonging to the corvid family are very smart and clever. The crow is a member of this family. There are more than 120 species of birds in the world that belong to the corvid family. These birds, especially those with thick beaks, are very strong. Sometimes, their voice, which shows extraordinary intelligence, can be melodious, harsh, and loud depending on the situation. They can also sing songs.

Jimmy has become a real character. We have heard many stories about crows. There are many instances of this bird in religious scriptures, folk tales, and proverbs. There are many proverbs, myths, and memes about crows.

For example: A famous story goes like this –

A crow is very thirsty. He sees water at the bottom of a pitcher but cannot get it down through his mouth. Suddenly, he gets an idea and finds small stones and drops them one by one into the pitcher. The water slowly moves up. Finally, he quenches his thirst by drinking the water that reaches the mouth of the pitcher. This clever story, which many have read, also says that crows are intelligent and clever birds. Ornithologists say that if trained, crows can imitate humans and even count numbers.

The crow is an omnivorous bird. It likes to eat everything from garbage to meat. In this sense, the crow is a friend of cleanliness, that is, nature's scavenger. Where there is more garbage, the number of crows is greater. Crows also protect crops by eating insects, grasshoppers, and mice in agricultural crops.

Since this bird is gregarious, if a crow is in trouble or dies, they gather in a group. Since they have a strong memory, they have the ability to identify enemies. 'Crows are birds that like to live in groups. They build nests by defining their territory,' says ornithologist Krishna Prasad Bhusal. 'If there is increased activity of any animal or human around the nest, they try to hide and call other crows and scream loudly.' According to him, crows do not allow other birds to survive in their area. If they are harassed, frightened, or otherwise, they attack and drive them away.

When a natural disaster or problem like an earthquake occurs, crows start flying around with a loud cry. When there is an increase in the activity of violent animals around or when an animal dies, crows also start showing unnatural activities. Experts say that vultures often follow this signal and reach the nest.

Crows, which can live for more than 13 to 20 years, are a mysterious bird linked to mythology and modern science. There are more than 40 species of crows worldwide. There are half a dozen of its species in Nepal as well. The most common one is the house crow. Its neck and chest are gray and the rest are completely black. The black crow lives in the forest area. Also called the mountain crow, it is larger than the house crow and its body color is completely black. The largest in size is the king crow. This loud crow looks almost like a hawk. Along with the king crow, the Temu and Tunga species of crows are found in the Himalayan region.

Although the existence of most animals is in danger due to climate change, urbanization, and excessive use of pesticides in farms, crows have not been affected much. On the contrary, their number is increasing. They are protecting themselves due to the increased garbage in the city.

Crow in religious scriptures

Crows are worshipped on the first day of Yama Panchak, which begins on the day of Krishna Trayodashi in Kartik. On this day, delicious food is served so that they can go to Yamaraj happily and tell good news. Those who consider crows as the spirits of their ancestors believe that if they satisfy them, their ancestors will be happy. 

There are many references to crows in various religious scriptures. According to mythology, crows bring or deliver messages from Yamaraj to the human world. Anyone who worships crows on the first day of Yama Panchak is believed to delay sorrow, death, or bad news from reaching their homes. Therefore, worshipping a crow brings blessings of protection, longevity, and peace, says astrologer and architect Pandit Narayan Prasad Dulal. 

According to him, by worshipping a crow on the first day of Tihar, a message is sent to the dead soul and Yamaraj that - may the inauspicious be far away, and may the ancestors be freed and have peace. In the Garuda Purana, the main text on death, Yamalok, and the journey of the soul, it is said that 'Kakantu Yamadutanch Pitrinanch Pratishthikam', meaning the crow is the representative of Yamadoot and the ancestors. 

‘According to the Garuda Purana, when food, water and food are offered to a crow during Shraddha or Tarpan, it goes directly to the ancestral realm and the soul of the ancestor is satisfied,’ says Pandit Dulal. ‘In religious scriptures like Manusmriti and Yajnavalkya Smriti, the crow is also considered an obligatory character in Shraddha rituals.’

In the story of ‘Kakabhushundi Rishi’ in the Ramayana, the sage, despite being in the form of a crow, has taught Lord Rama devotion and the path of knowledge. In the Mahabharata, the crow is also mentioned as the messenger of Yama in the dialogue between Yudhishthira and Yamaraj. According to Pandit Dulal, the crow is also associated with Kaal (time) and karma in the Puranas. Therefore, the Puranas have also depicted the crow as a ‘messenger between death and rebirth’.

The crow is an amazing creature with intelligence, memory, social behavior and adaptability. It has a deep connection with human life, religious beliefs and nature. Be it the legendary sage Kakbhushundi or the clever Jimmy of modern times, crows have always been connected to human society. That is probably why Tihar does not begin without worshipping the crow.

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