Common Raven

Common Raven

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

The largest of the songbirds, the Common Raven is one of the most widespread species in the world, found across North America and Eurasia, southward into Central America and northern Africa. Perhaps the smartest of all birds, the raven can survive in Arctic, temperate, and desert environments.

Description

• Very large crow.
• All glossy black.

• Size: 56-69 cm (22-27 in)
• Wingspan: 116-118 cm (46-46 in)
• Weight: 689-1625 g (24.32-57.36 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes alike in plumage, but male slightly larger on average.

Sound

Common call a deep croak or hoarse "rrronk." Also a variety of sounds, including knocks and bell-like notes.

Conservation Status

The Common Raven had nearly disappeared from the northeastern United States in the early part of the 20th century. Its numbers in that area increased markedly in the last half of the century, and it is reoccupying much of its former range. Because of small population sizes in much of the East, it is listed as endangered or threatened in a number of states. Populations have been increasing all across the range, especially in the West where it has taken advantage of human-modified habitats.

Other Names

Grand corbeau (French)
Cuervo cumún, Cuervo grande (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Common Raven is an acrobatic flier. It frequently is seen to make rolls and somersaults in the air. It has even been observed flying upside down for as far as one kilometer (0.62 mi).

• Breeding pairs of Common Ravens hold territories and try to exclude all other ravens throughout the year. In winter, young ravens finding a carcass will call other ravens to the prize. They apparently do this to overwhelm the local territory owners by force of numbers to gain access to the food.

• The Common Raven often uses sheep wool to line its nest. When the female leaves the nest for a while she may cover the eggs with the wool.

• Increasing raven populations can have significant negative effects on the populations of some vulnerable prey species, such as desert tortoises and Least Terns. Ravens can cause trouble for people too. Ravens have been implicated in causing power outages by contaminating insulators on power lines, fouling satellite dishes at the Goldstone Deep Space Site, peeling radar absorbent material off buildings at the Chinal Lake Naval Weapons center, pecking holes in airplane wings, and stealing golf balls.

Sources used to construct this page:

Boarman, W. I., and B. Heinrich. 1999. Common Raven (Corvus corax). In The Birds of North America, No. 476 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.