Common Raven
The common raven (Corvus corax) is the largest songbird in the world and one of the most intelligent birds, found across the Northern Hemisphere from deserts to the Arctic. It is listed as Least Concern.
The common raven (Corvus corax) is the largest songbird in the world and one of the most intelligent birds, found across the Northern Hemisphere from deserts to the Arctic. It is listed as Least Concern.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Common Raven in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Brains and Planning
Ravens can solve multi-step puzzles, remember individuals and plan for future needs in experiments. Wild birds play, slide down snowbanks, and use vocal mimicry. Their relative brain size is large for a bird.
Wolf Companions
Ravens follow wolves to carcasses and may call wolves to a kill. Their use of such predators is a well-known example of a loose partnership between species. See Gray Wolf.
Social Learning
Ravens form long-term pairs, but non-breeding juveniles gather in groups at roosts and share information on food. The bird features in myths and stories across cultures.
Common Raven at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Corvus corax |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Passeriformes |
| Family | Corvidae |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia: Aves (Birds) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | All-black glossy iridescent plumage, heavy shaggy throat hackles, massive decurved bill, complex analogical problem solving. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2017 |
| Family | Corvidae |
See Also
- Gray Wolf — a frequent companion
- Zebra Finch — another songbird studied for cognition