Follow us on:
  • About
    • History
    • Collections
    • Uses
    • Meet the staff
    • Curator
  • On Display
    • Floor plan
    • Animal finder >
      • By Location
      • By Animal group >
        • Vertebrates
        • Invertebrates
    • Keys and information sheets >
      • Evolution and adaptation
      • Taxonomy
      • Diet
      • Social organisation and mating system
      • Ecosystems and habitats
  • Activities
  • Visit us
    • Tours
    • School visits
    • Find us
    • Get involved
  • Get in touch
    • Visitor feedback

Common Raven

Corvus corax


Where is it found?

Picture
Picture
Forests and grassland

Diet and foraging method

Eats plants and animals
Opportunists, mainly scavenge for carrion, but will hunt for insects and small vertebrates, as well as eat plants.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Key Adaptations

Large, robust bill for ripping and tearing carrion.

Social organisation and mating system

Picture
Solitary
Picture
Picture
Form socially monogamous breeding pairs for life

Did you know that...?

Like parrots, Raven can mimic a variety of noises in captivity including car engines, toilets flushing and human speech! In the wild, Ravens utilise this skill to imitate wolves or foxes to attract these larger scavengers to a carcass the Raven isn't strong enough to break in to on its own.

Taxonomy

Picture

Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
 "Corvus corax 1 (Marek Szczepanek)" by Marek Szczepanek - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corvus_corax_1_(Marek_Szczepanek).jpg#/media/File:Corvus_corax_1_(Marek_Szczepanek).jpg
 "Common Raven (Corvus corax) RWD" by Dick Daniels (http://carolinabirds.org/) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Raven_(Corvus_corax)_RWD.jpg#/media/File:Common_Raven_(Corvus_corax)_RWD.jpg
"Corvus corax tingitanus MHNT 232 HdB Djebel Messaad Algerie" by Didier Descouens - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corvus_corax_tingitanus_MHNT_232_HdB_Djebel_Messaad_Algerie.jpg#/media/File:Corvus_corax_tingitanus_MHNT_232_HdB_Djebel_Messaad_Algerie.jpg

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.