- Corvus corax
Identification
Large corvid, roughly 22-27 inches long. Wingspan reaches over 4 feet. All-black with a purplish iridescence to its feathers. Soars often, and with all the prowess and aerial finesse of a raptor. A powerful, thick "Roman Nose" beak is distinctive. Calls highly variable, but mainly croaking, resonating "Ka-ark!" or "Kronk!", as well as bell-like calls. Most vocalizations are lower and hoarser than those of crows. This bird can be difficult to seperate from crows. Best told from its smaller cousins by its larger size and wedge-shaped (as opposed to fan-shaped) tail. Shaggier appearance overall, with long hackles on the throat and a shaggy crown. Bill is thicker and more powerful then that of a crow. Wingspan is longer, wings broader than crows, with more emarginated primaries (fingers). Much more prone to soaring than crows, wingbeats and flight more like that of a buzzard. Best told from look-alike Chihuahuan Raven of the American Southwest by range, habitat, larger size, and, most reliably, the gray bases to the feathers on its neck (usually not visible except in windy conditions or when the bird is preening).
Taxonomy
Kingdom=Animalia, Phylum=Chordata, Class=Aves, Order=Passeriformes, Family=Corvidae, Genus=Corvus, Species=corax,
Range and Habitat
Found across Eurasia and North America. Range also extends into northern Africa. Very adaptable, able to survive in a wide range of habitats, from mountains to deserts to forests, though usually at higher elevations. Prefers wilderness regions, but slowly becoming conditioned to surviving alongside humans, in some cases even suburban areas.
Behavior
Quite playful, often observed exhibiting aerial maneuvers (generally in pairs) ranging from barrel rolls to dives. Even observed flying upside-down, sometimes for significant distances. Omnivorous, consuming a wide range of food items. These include carrion (its usual fare) and vegetable matter (such as berries and nuts), as well as small animals that may be directly captured, occasionally up to the size of young squirrels. Ravens were once known as "wolf birds", due to their tendency to follow large mammal carnivores in hopes of scavenging the remains of their kills. Very intelligent, considered by many to be the most intelligent of all birds. Recent tests indicate that ravens may actually use a form of logic, not just trial-and-error or instinct, that begins as a basic framework of concepts and is added upon and improved with age and experience, just like with humans.
In Culture and Literature
Ravens have long been viewed as mysterious and shadowy, likely due to their ebony plumage. Raven is one of the principle spirits in Native American Folklore. Though often portrayed as trickster, Raven is regarded by some tribes as the "Creator", the spirit who formed the earth. Ravens are often prominent figures on totem poles of Northwestern tribes. Well-known is the superstition from King Charles II's time that, with the absence of ravens at the Tower of London, the tower and the kingdom would fall. Today, several ravens are permanently kept on the grounds, and tended to by "the Ravenmaster". Ravens are popular in literature, often to set a dreary or ominous mood. Ravens were one of the birds most frequently mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare, and who could forget the corvid's appearance in Edgar Allen Poe's great poem, "The Raven"...
'Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked, upstarting-
'Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian Shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken-quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven 'Nevermore.'
Bird Song
<flashmp3>Corvus corax (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
