A Few Tidbits on Ravens

The Raven, also known as the Common Raven or the Northern Raven, is the largest bird in the Corvidae or Corvini family. Close relatives of the Raven include crows, jackdaws, and rooks. More distant cousins are Choughs, Treepies, Nutcrackers, Magpies and Jays.

There are many species of Ravens around the world - Australian Raven, Little Raven, Forest Raven, New England Raven, Chihuahuan Raven, Dwarf Raven, Brown-necked Raven, White-necked Raven and Thick-billed Raven.

The Raven is a striking black bird, 22 - 27 inches from beak to tail. It is believed that the black plumage helps them absorb and retain heat in colder climates. Distinctive features are their large size, heavy bill, shaggy throat hackles, long fingered wing tips and long wedge shaped tail. The throat feathers are long and pointed, the tail is long and graduated. The entire body is glossy black, as are the bills, legs and feet. Their eyes are dark brown. In an aerial silhouette their longer features easily distinguish them from crows. A Raven can live more than thirty years.

The voice is normally a distinctive deep, harsh croak, or hollow croaking honk. Ravens have a large, complex vocabulary of sounds in their repertoire including a high knocking "toc toc toc", a dry, grating "Kraa", low guttural rattles, and some more musical calls. Captive birds have even been taught to speak.

They are omnivorous eaters, preferring to scavenge, but able to kill when necessary. They prefer carrion - dead sheep, cattle, rabbits and fish, but will also eat nestling birds and eggs, rodents, shellfish, insects, seeds, berries and grain. They have been known, in Greenland, to hunt and kill ptarmigan in flight and to kill puffins emerging from their burrows. Ravens will also hide and store food for later use. Near human habitations, they scavenge in garbage dumps for house scraps.

In northern regions they have been observed to hunt cooperatively with wolves. Ravens will alert wolves to prey, wait for the kill, then feed. Wolves and ravens have also been seen to engage in playful behavior with each other, ravens swooping down at the wolves, who will chase them playfully.

I think we may need to start keeping closer tabs on who Mortimer is spending his play time with...