Out of all the crow family, the common raven is probably the most well known. They are the largest member with a wingspan of 120 to 150cm and weighing from 800 to 1500grams. That’s 4 to 5 feet and 1.7 to 3.3lbs. They are glossy black over their entire bodies and have large, powerful black beaks. They are extremely acrobatic in the air and when flying they display a diamond shape tail. One bird was even recorded travelling for more than half a mile whilst flying upside down!
Ravens are very intelligent and just like the other corvids I have made videos about, this means that they are very adaptable in where they can live and what they can eat. They are found all across the northern hemisphere including most of the north American continent, Europe, Russia and Asia. In the UK their range extends from the north of Scotland to the south of England, all the way to the west coast of wales and across northern Ireland. They are also present in the east of England but only in small, albeit gradually increasing, numbers. Ravens can eek out a living in almost all habitats from dense forests to open moorland, upland or lowland areas and pretty much anything in-between.
A ravens diet is extensive and varies throughout the year. They will happily feed on berries, fruits, grains, crops and carrion, but they also prey upon reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, fish, and other species of birds, including their chicks and eggs.
Ravens do not start nesting until they are 2 to 4 years old but can form non-breeding relationships from their first year onwards. Once a pair is formed they will claim a territory and defend it from all other ravens. The size of this territory depends on how much food is available, where resources are scarce territories are much larger. The pair will then create a large bowl shaped nest of sticks, twigs and roots, bound together with mud and bark and then lined with softer material such as feathers, wool and fur. From February onwards, depending on the weather, each female will lay between 3 and seven brown blotched blue coloured eggs. These measure just under 5cm or 2 inches in length. The female incubates the eggs alone, whilst the male stands guard for 18 to 21 days. At first, the chicks are pink and have their eyes closed. They are fed in the nest for around 40 days before they are ready to fledge but the parental duties do not end there. The young birds may stay with their parents for upto 6 months after fledging. After this the young birds often form flocks with other unpaired youngsters and roam widely in search of resources before finally settling once they find mates and territories of their own.
Ravens communicate with each other through a series of natural vocalisations but they also have been found to gesture to one another. They sometimes mimic wolves, foxes or vultures in order to get them to come to a dead animal, if they themselves unable to get to the meat inside. In captivity they also become great mimics of people, copying entire sentences and mechanical noises.
Ravens are amazingly intelligent and have been shown to have abilities to problem solve that are almost unparalleled in the animal kingdom.
A flock of common ravens is known as an unkindness and they have been associated with a lot of mythology and religions. In the wild ravens have an average lifespan of ten to 15 years with one ringed wild bird surviving to 22 years and 7 months of age. In captivity they often survive for more than 40 years.
Some of the footage and images in this video were obtained using creative commons licences. The originals and their licence details can be found at:
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#raven #birdwatching #britishwildlife

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