Common Raven: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © arbyreed · CC BY-NC-SA · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Corvus corax
- Family
- Crows, Jays, and Magpies
- Size
- About 64 cm
- Habitat
- Coasts, heath and woods
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia and North America
The key marks
Much bigger, with a heavy bill, a shaggy throat and a wedge-shaped tail. Carrion Crow is smaller with a rounded tail.
Voice
A deep, hollow 'kronk'.
Good to know
It can roll in flight and in recent years has been returning as a breeding bird in the Netherlands.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Carrion Crow. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in coasts, heath and woods. It is especially common in Arizona. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.