How to Identify a Common Raven

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What Does a Common Raven Look Like?

raven facts — Common raven at Grand Canyon National Park

Ravens are large black colored birds. They can be up to 25 inches long with a 50-inch wingspan.

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Common Raven Bird Habitat and Range

Thanks to their ingenuity, common ravens survive and do well in all kinds of habitats—from tundra to Texas heat. You’re most likely to see these birds in the north, northeast and and western states.

Common ravens have been moving into cities in recent decades. They thrive in some downtown areas of the West, like Phoenix and San Francisco. The stately raven may even be seen perched on neon signs in Las Vegas. Here are seven other places you can find them:

Beach
Forest
Mountains
Desert
Grassland
Tundra

A raven at the Tower of London. — A raven at the Tower of London

Famously, ravens live at the Tower of London. King Charles II believed England would fall if there were no resident ravens at the Tower of London. Today, seven adult birds are kept on the grounds.

Common ravens also live in Canada. According to the conservation program, Partners in Flight, roughly 18 percent of the 20 million raven birds in the world live in Canada.

Diet: What Does a Common Raven Eat?

common raven birds Courtesy Jill Conner

Common ravens will eat almost anything. Twelve things they have been known to feast on are:

Mice
Baby tortoises
Eggs
Grasshoppers
Beetles
Scorpions
Fish
Dung
Grains
Buds
Berries
Pet food

Common Raven Nesting Habits

ravens at grand canyon — A trio of ravens at the Grand Canyon

Ravens seem to mate for life and raise only one brood a year, which includes between three and seven young.

Ravens are usually alone or in pairs during the daytime. If you see more common ravens together, it’s probably a family.

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Common Raven Sounds

Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Common Ravens Are Highly Intelligent

raven bird — Raven in Yosemite National Park

Common ravens are some of the smartest birds on the planet, along with these other three cousin birds in the corvid family: crows, magpies, and jays.

Ravens in Literature and Pop Culture

The famous poem, The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe was first published in 1845. The DC Comics character Raven is a member of the Teen Titans. In the National Football League, the Baltimore, Maryland, team is called the Ravens.

Sources

Originally Published: August 08, 2024

Author

Lori Vanover

Lori Vanover is the senior digital editor for Birds & Blooms. She has a bachelor of science degree in agricultural and environmental communications from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Lori is certified as a Wisconsin Extension Master Gardener and is also a member of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. In her spare time she enjo...

Reviewer

Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman

As a teenager in the 1970s, Kenn Kaufman hitch-hiked all over North America in pursuit of birds, an adventure later chronicled in his cult-classic book Kingbird Highway. After several years as a professional nature tour leader, taking groups to all seven continents, he transitioned to a career as a writer, editor, and illustrator. His 14 books incl...

Fact Checker

Kirsten Schrader

Now Birds & Blooms' content director, Kirsten has been writing about birding and gardening for 17 years. Her writing and editing roles have spanned the print and digital landscape. Although she has traveled to see amazing birds throughout the U.S., Kirsten has one dream bucket list bird—the male painted bunting.