Common Raven

The Common Raven (Corvus corax) is one of the most intelligent birds in the world. It is known for its problem-solving skills, tool use, and playful behavior. This striking black songbird has fascinated humans for centuries. From mythology to modern science, ravens have earned a reputation as clever survivors and even helpful partners to other animals. They are found across much of the Northern Hemisphere, and thrive in wild landscapes and near human settlements alike.

Common Raven Amazing Facts

• Ravens are extraordinarily intelligent, with large brains relative to their body size, among the largest of any bird. They are capable of solving complex problems and can even tell other ravens about events and objects that they can’t immediately see. They’ve even been known to notify wolves of carcasses so the wolves can open the carcass up for them.
• Ravens love to play, especially young Ravens. They will even play with members of other species, such as dogs, and even make toys to play with.
• As of 2021, seven ravens guard the Tower of London. It is believed that if the ravens ever left the Tower, the kingdom would collapse. There need to be six ravens guarding the Tower, with one as a spare just in case.
• Ravens are passerines or songbirds.

Where To Find Common Ravens

Ravens can be found in the northern hemisphere. They can be found in places where humans live, but not as plentifully as their cousin, the crow. Ravens prefer wild, open spaces such as grassland, tundra, and somewhat open forests.

Scientific name

The scientific name of the common, or western raven, is Corvus corax. “Corvus” comes from the Latin word for raven, and “corax” is a Latinized Greek word for “raven” or “crow,” so the bird can be thought of as a double crow.

‘There are generally recognized to be eight subspecies of the common raven:

• C. c. corax
• C. c. varius
• C. c. subcorax
• C. c. tingitanus
• C. c. tibetanus
• C. c. principalis
• C. c. kamtschaticus
• C. c. sinuatus

Evolution and Origins

A possible reason for the genetic discoveries is that common ravens arrived in California around two million years ago and were isolated from their counterparts in Europe and Asia due to a period of glacial activity. A branch of the California group developed into a distinct species, known as the Chihuahuan raven, around one million years ago.

Approximately 1.5 million years ago, the birds in the present-day California region separated from the rest of the raven population, resembling a branch of a river that diverges from the main channel. Their continuous segregation enabled them to develop into a distinct species.

During the time of Greco-Roman antiquity, ravens had a significant role in Greek mythology, particularly with Apollo, the God of prophecy. The ravens were believed to represent misfortune and were considered divine messengers in the mortal realm. As per the myth, Apollo dispatched a white raven (or crow in other renditions) to monitor his beloved, Coronis.

Appearance

The raven is one of the largest passerine birds. Its feathers are glossy black and can show blue or purplish iridescence when a light shines on them. The length of the body is between 21 and 26 inches, and it has a thick, curved bill and a wingspan of around 4 feet. It can weigh close to 4 pounds. Females may be a bit smaller than males.

The tail is wedge-shaped, and the throat has feathers called hackles, which the bird can raise or lower to communicate. The shape of the tail, the hackles, the robustness of the bill, and the size of the bird differentiate it from a crow. Also, ravens are more likely than crows to glide or soar in flight.

This unlikely songbird has a variety of vocalizations. Scientists have identified as many as 30 of them. Even their wingbeats have an evocative sound when the birds are in flight.

Behavior

Ravens are often solitary, but they sometimes travel with their mates and form flocks when they are young. Flocks, also called unkindnesses, may form when food is concentrated in an area. Young ravens seem to be fascinated with new objects, especially if they are bright and shiny. Older birds become more staid with age, even though they are better at problem-solving.

Common ravens don’t seem to migrate but may move around their range if the weather becomes too hot or too cold. A breeding pair is territorial and staunchly defends their young against would-be predators. They not only chase and scold potential threats but are clever enough to drop rocks on their heads if they come too close. Common ravens can also recognize individual ravens and even individual humans.

Diet

One of the things that makes the common raven so successful is that it is an omnivore and will eat just about anything that agrees with its digestive system. This includes both plant and animal material. They hunt small rodents, reptiles, amphibians, arthropods, and insects. They eat grain, fruit, and berries, and can be pests to farmers. They scavenge and will not only eat carrion but also the insects and insect larvae that are drawn to carrion.

They enthusiastically eat roadkill and human garbage and will pick out the undigested food in feces. They raid the food caches of both ravens and other animals and hide that food in their own food caches. Common ravens eat the eggs and young of other birds, and if the bird is small enough, it will eat the adult as well.

Ravens have been reported to attack and sometimes kill newly born or weak lambs and goats, and will scavenge from carcasses of larger animals such as calves. If a young raven finds a large carcass being enjoyed by adult ravens, it will call its friends to the food source.

But the common raven’s diet isn’t bottomless. Like other birds, chocolate is poisonous to it. Heavy metals such as lead and copper can make the raven sick. The seeds and pits of pears, apples, peaches, apricots, and related fruit are also not good for the bird, as they contain cyanide.

Predators and Threats

This songbird is so big, intelligent, and vigilant that it is difficult for an animal predator to get the best of it. Yet owls and other birds of prey sometimes steal its eggs, as does the marten, a type of weasel. Sometimes a bird of prey will successfully attack an adult raven. These include bald and golden eagles, goshawks, great horned owls, eagle owls, and red-tailed hawks. Cougars, lynxes, and coyotes may also go after adult ravens, but this is unusual.

Reproduction, Babies, and Lifespan

Ravens become mature when they’re about three years old, but they’ve been seen to court each other long before then. Ravens start to court in earnest in autumn and winter, with most eggs being laid in early spring, depending on the birds’ range.

Scientists believe that pairs of ravens stay together at least during the breeding season, but they’re not sure if they mate for life. They court through performing acrobatics, showing off their intelligence, and showing a would-be mate that they’re good at finding food. When the female is ready to mate, she crouches, drops and shakes her wings, and raises her tail.

The pair finds and defends a territory, then builds the nest. It’s a deep but asymmetrical bowl of sticks and twigs lined with mud and tree bark and softened by materials such as fur. Nests are about 16 to 60 inches in diameter and 5 to 6 inches deep and are placed in a big tree, at the edge of a cliff, in an abandoned building, or even on a telephone pole. Here, the female lays between three and seven eggs. They are pale blue-green and freckled with brown. The female incubates them for about 21 days. Only she incubates the eggs, but the male will protect the chicks by standing over them. Both parents feed the chicks. Ravens only have one brood per year.

The chicks fledge when they’re a little over a month old, but can stay with their parents for half a year.

Common ravens can live a long time, and ravens at the Tower of London have lived over 40 years. Less pampered ravens live around 13 years in the wild.

Population

There are about 16 million common ravens in the wild, and their numbers seem to be increasing. Indeed, there are places where the raven’s numbers are exploding as landfills, highways, parks, and artificial bodies of water are set up to see to the needs of humans. There are areas, such as Alaska, where ravens need to be culled from time to time to protect vulnerable species.