Mount Everest

Lore & Background

Originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 landmark 10th edition of Systema Naturae, the common raven bears its original name, Corvus corax. The genus derives from Latin, while the specific epithet is a Latinized form of the Greek κόραξ. In English, the word traces back to Proto-Germanic *hrabanaz, with cognates like Old Norse hrafn and Old High German (h)raban. Historically, groups have been called an 'unkindness' or a 'conspiracy'. Genetic studies reveal at least two distinct clades: a California clade found only in the southwestern United States and a Holarctic clade spanning the rest of the Northern Hemisphere. These groups diverged about two million years ago, with California ravens showing closer genetic ties to the Chihuahuan raven than to their European and Asian relatives.

In Their Own Story

In the Faroe Islands, a now-extinct pied colour morph once existed alongside the widespread black common ravens. While white ravens are occasionally found in the wild, some in British Columbia were identified as leucistic rather than albino due to a lack of pigment types other than melanin. These birds coexist with humans for thousands of years, sometimes viewed as pests where they become numerous. Their success stems from an omnivorous diet that includes carrion, insects, cereal grains, berries, fruit, small animals, and food waste. Notable problem-solving feats highlight their unusual intelligence. In flight, they produce a creaking sound likened to rustling silk, and their deep, resonant prruk-prruk-prruk call is unlike any other corvid.

Reader's Guide

To identify a common raven, look for a bird ranging between 54 and 71 cm with a wingspan of 116 to 153 cm. They possess a large, slightly curved bill with a culmen length of 5.7 to 8.5 cm, one of the largest among passerines. Distinctive features include shaggy throat feathers, longer bristles above the beak, and a longish, wedge-shaped tail measuring 20 to 26.3 cm. Birds from colder regions like the Himalayas are generally larger with bigger bills, while those from warmer areas are smaller. Their plumage is mostly iridescent black with a dark brown iris, though juveniles have duller feathers and blue-grey irises. Unlike crows, they soar with less wing flapping and can mimic human speech and environmental sounds.

Did You Know?

• Common ravens are the heaviest passerine birds, with recorded weights ranging from 0.69 to 2.250 kg.
• The species is divided into at least two genetic clades: a California clade and a Holarctic clade that diverged about two million years ago.
• A collective noun for a group of ravens includes 'unkindness' and 'conspiracy'.
• Ravens in the California clade are more closely related to the Chihuahuan raven than to those in the Holarctic clade.
• In flight, their feathers produce a creaking sound that has been likened to the rustle of silk.