Northern Raven

Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758

60–69 cmLength120–150 cmWingspan928 gWeight

This large crow is black overall, with a large bill, a wedge-shaped tail and a low call.

Busiest months: April–May and September–October · Most records: United States, Canada, Spain

Looks like Carrion Crow, Rook

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Black overall, with a metallic gloss to the feathers
Very large, slightly decurved bill
Long, shaggy throat feathers
Tail feathers form a wedge shape

Male, female and young

Juveniles have similar but darker plumage and a blue-gray iris.

Voice

A deep, loud “prruk-prruk-prruk”, as well as a high-pitched, tapping “toc-toc-toc”.

Similar species

Carrion Crow

Carrion Crow is noticeably smaller, with typical crow-like wing and tail shapes, and lacks Northern Raven's long, wedge-shaped tail.

Rook

Rook also has a fairly large bill, but is noticeably smaller, with typical crow-like wing and tail shapes.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: April–May and September–October · Most records: United States, Canada, Spain

Northern Raven has been recorded at 2,042 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 82 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Paton Center for HummingbirdsUnited States15,346 records
RNF du Cap-TourmenteCanada13,763 records
Arcata Marsh and Wildlife SanctuaryUnited States9,248 records

More places

Canoa Ranch Conservation ParkUnited States8,634 records
Calgary – Carburn ParkCanada8,422 records
Whitefish PointUnited States8,404 records
Anza Trail – TubacUnited States8,361 records
Irvine Regional ParkUnited States7,891 records
Rodeo LagoonUnited States7,890 records
Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory – PalomarinUnited States7,577 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Spain United Kingdom Iceland Mexico Poland Germany

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The common raven or northern raven (Corvus corax) is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. There are 11 accepted subspecies with little variation in appearance, although recent research has demonstrated significant genetic differences among populations from various regions.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Northern Raven?

The Northern Raven is about 60–69 cm long, with a wingspan of 120–150 cm and weighs around 928 g.

Where does the Northern Raven live?

Its breeding range: North America, Middle America, Palearctic: widespread. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Spain.

When is the best time to see the Northern Raven?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April, May, September and October (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Northern Raven endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Northern Raven as Least Concern.

What does the Northern Raven eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Northern Raven in?

It belongs to the family Crows, Jays (Corvidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 60–69 cm
Wingspan: 120–150 cm
Weight: 928 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 420 mm
Tail: 229 mm
Bill: 77 mm
Tarsus: 67 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America, Middle America, Palearctic: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 2

Corvus corax laurencei Greece, Cyprus and Turkey to w China and n India
Corvus corax kamtschaticus w Mongolia, e Siberia, ne China, n Japan and nearby islands