Talking crow befriends entire Oregon elementary school

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A friendly, if somewhat foul-mouthed, crow became a temporary mascot at Allen Dale Elementary School in November when the bird took up residence at the Grants Pass school. The bird could say, “What’s up?” and “I’m fine” and “a lot of swear words.” “It was like a parrot,” Imel said. “His vocabulary has expanded quite a bit in the last few weeks.” Colpron knows a good deal about the crow, or possibly, raven -- who also may be female -- because her mother rescued the bird about two years ago when it was a baby, bringing it home to the family’s farm in Williams from a shelter and naming it “Cosmo.” The family has dogs, including a mastiff named “Tonka Truck,” Colpron said. In the mornings, she said, “he will go right to my bedroom window and say, ‘Mom wake up, wake up!’” There is a daycare in the neighborhood and Cosmo loves kids, Colpron said. “As soon as he found out what time the kids got there,” she said, “he’d go over there and hang out.” Shattuck is a rescuer of animals but Cosmo is extra special to her.