In a village in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, an unlikely star has taken flight—literally. While talking parrots may be common, this time it’s a crow that’s capturing headlines for mimicking human speech. A video of this black-feathered chatterbox has gone viral, leaving netizens baffled and tourists flocking to see it in action.
It all started when Mangalya Munke, a local resident, rescued a 15-day-old injured crow from beneath a tree. He brought it home, and over time, the bird found a place within the Munke household. “It was so tiny when we first discovered it; we gave it pieces of apple initially, then gradually introduced rice,” he recalled in a conversation with India Today.
The crow soon became a regular around the house—hopping on shoulders, eating from hands, and astonishingly, talking. What began as occasional sounds evolved into actual Marathi phrases. The one-and-a-half-year-old bird now says things like “Aai” (mother), “Baba”, “What are you doing?” and “Why did you come home?”. And this isn’t just mimicry—the crow even responds to strangers approaching the house with questions like, “What is your work?”
WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO:
In Palghar, a rescued crow raised by family now speaks in a man’s voice pic.twitter.com/hUHn4QWg7X
— Being Punekar (@beingpunekar1) April 3, 2025
The Munke family didn’t train the bird, claims Tanuja Munke, Mangalya’s wife. “It speaks to us now. It addresses us by name. We did not teach it, it just learned,” she said. Despite spending its days flying with other crows, the bird always returns by evening, never straying too far from the house that gave it a second chance.
Since the videos began surfacing online, the crow has drawn curious visitors from nearby villages. Some even try to talk to it, hoping it might reply. But the Munke family says the crow only responds to familiar voices.
With its rare ability to mimic human speech, this Palghar crow has now become more than just a pet—it’s a village sensation, and perhaps, India’s most unexpected viral star.
