Common Raven
Common Raven
Corvus corax
At a Glance
Of the birds classified as perching birds or 'songbirds,' the Common Raven is the largest, the size of a hawk. Often, its deep croaking call will alert the observer to a pair of Common Ravens soaring high overhead. An intelligent and remarkably adaptable bird, living as both a scavenger and a predator, it can survive in all seasons in surroundings as diverse as hot deserts and the High Arctic tundra. Once driven from much of its eastern range, the raven is now making a comeback.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Crows, Magpies, Jays, Perching Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Arroyos and Canyons, Coasts and Shorelines, Desert and Arid Habitats, Forests and Woodlands, High Mountains, Landfills and Dumps, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets, Tundra and Boreal Habitats, Urban and Suburban Habitats
Region
Alaska and The North, California, Eastern Canada, Great Lakes, Mid Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southeast, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Direct Flight, Soaring
Population
29.000.000
Range & Identification
Migration & Range Maps
The Common Raven is mostly a permanent resident, but some wander in fall and winter, appearing south of the breeding range.
Description
Sexes similar — Length: 22 in–2 ft 3 in (56–69 cm); wingspan: 3 ft 10 in–3 ft 11 in (116–118 cm); weight: 1 lb 8 oz–3 lb 9 oz (689 g–1.63 kg). Much larger than crows but best known by its wedge-shaped tail, very thick bill, and shaggy throat feathers. In the Southwest, compare to Chihuahuan Raven.
Size
About the size of a Heron, About the size of a Mallard or Herring Gull
Color
Black
Wing Shape
Fingered, Long, Narrow
Tail Shape
Wedge-shaped
Songs and Calls
Deep, varied, guttural croaking; a hollow wonk-wonk.
Call Pattern
Flat, Simple
Call Type
Croak/Quack, Odd, Raucous
Habitat
Boreal and mountain forests, coastal cliffs, tundra, and desert. Can live in a vast array of habitats, from tundra above the Arctic Circle to hot desert areas of the Southwest. Often, in heavily forested areas, they may also live on prairies if suitable nest sites (such as on cliffs) exist nearby.
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Behavior
Eggs
4-6, sometimes 3-7. Greenish, blotched with olive or brown. Incubation is mostly or entirely by female, about 18-21 days. Male feeds female during incubation.
Young
Both parents bring food for nestlings, and female broods them while they are small. Young leave nest about 5-6 weeks after hatching.
Feeding Behavior
Typically forages in pairs, the two birds sometimes cooperating to flush out prey. Searches for nests to eat the eggs or young birds. An opportunist, taking advantage of temporary food sources. The Common Raven does most of its feeding on the ground. Often feeds as a scavenger, searching for carrion or visiting garbage dumps. In northern Alaska (Utqiagvik) in winter, they are seen feeding at the dump under artificial lights.
Diet
Omnivorous. The Common Raven may feed on practically anything, but the majority of its diet is apparently animal matter. Feeds on a wide variety of insects, including beetles, caterpillars, and others; also rodents, lizards, frogs, and eggs and young of other birds. Regularly eats carrion and garbage.
Nesting
In courtship display, the male Common Raven soars, swoops, and tumbles in mid-air. Pair may soar high together; when perched, they touch bills, preen each other's feathers. Nest site is usually on a ledge of a rock cliff, or high in a tall tree (especially a conifer). May use the same site year after year, adding material on top of the old nest. Both sexes help build. Nest is a bulky basket of large sticks and twigs, with a deep depression in the center lined with grass, bark strips, moss, and animal hair.
Conservation
Conservation Status
The Common Raven disappeared from much of the eastern and midwestern United States before 1900. In recent decades, they have been expanding their range again, especially in the Northeast, spreading south into formerly occupied areas.
Climate Threats Facing the Common Raven
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.
