How to tell a raven from a crow. An older guide I made with Dr Kaeli Swift. And yes that's an aileron roll, not a barrel roll, but only us nerds know that :)
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What I’ve found is like the difference between eagles and Turkey Vultures: eagles have big head and tail, like a cross; TVs have a tail, but no head. Ravens have a long head and tail, like a definite cross; crows have a shorter head than tail. Plenty more differences to find with practice, too.
I tell (UK) people the difference between crows and rooks. Crows are shiny loners with black beaks who look pleased with themselves. Rooks travel in gangs, have beaks like a stone pickaxe and look like they're up to something.
The flying skills of the hooded crows in Berlin are best described as functional. It's not graceful but it gets the job done.
I don't think they give a shit about being graceful. They have more important things to think about.
Thanks! I didn't know they have pointy tales. Excellent. I can tell them close up, but if I see a crow larking about in the sky at a distance I'm never sure what to look for.
Another one I heard is with a crow you ask “is that a raven or a crow?” and with a raven you say “that’s a big crow!” Admittedly that’s less useful from an actual identifying standpoint.
An aileron roll is when the aircraft rolls around its nose-to-tail axis while moving more or less forward in a straight line. A barrel roll is more of a helical path that adds a loop - think of tracing out a path on the inside of a barrel (hence the name).
Crows. They pass their grudges down to their children. This study found crows held the grudge for almost 17 years; average lifespan of a crow in the wild is 7-8 years.
Here in Baltimore, we live on the flyway to a big roost near Highlandtown on the east side. Every evening, like clockwork, we have a river of mixed crows heading back down for the night.
We get massive murders around here and I am very worried for them with the bird flu happening. Just had a mass sandhill crane die-off from it in the region. 😕
I just learned about that recently! And the first time I saw a blue whale, I was underwhelmed. The waves made it so hard to tell how big the thing was.
It’s like six blocks of birds so about 350 according to local birders. Every morning and again around 5ish. Very loud. They really like pooping on parked cars. I don’t recommend parking overnight on my street. lol
Had this experience when I was in Scotland but it was regular crows VS hooded crows, hooded’s are really cool! They literally look like they have little outfits on 😭🖤 (not my pic)
Worth pointing out when they were on the ground it was really obvious, but overhead in flight when the sun was out and right in your eyes it wasn’t easy 🤣
We have a pair of ravens up where I keep the horse and I love them. We also have a couple of absolutely massive crows so I always listen for the cronking and look for the tail to tell them apart at a distance. They do move quite differently. They also make a noise like a car alarm setting.
Ravens are also noticeably bigger, but that can be difficult to tell when they're flying if you don't know how high up they are.
From my memories of a trip I took some years ago, it can be hard to tell if it's a crow or a raven, until you see a raven and see it's almost twice the size of a crow.
Cool guide! I find it hardest to tell ravens from rooks, especially since rooks can get relatively large and have larger beaks. But the sound is definitely a giveaway.
I saw a raven in Iceland do a roll in mid-air! My book about ravens says that they basically just do it to goof and to show off.
Most of the year, it’s not very tough - my other description is Fish Crow = “the crow that quacks”. It’s a flat sound, not the bold, full-bodied “caw” of American Crow. True, the double “cah-cah” is maybe easier to tell, but crows have a bunch of vocalizations (and very young crows have a flat call)
All I know is there's a bunch of the noisy buggers that live in the church tower across the road and they and the oystercatchers have shouting matches at 3am.
Went to the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. The role of the Raven as the bringer of human life was fascinating. Later saw ravens at Stanley Park. They were not the least intimidated by humans, and it was now clear why: "We made you. We can take you out." Worthy of human respect.
Looking it up crows and ravens seemingly don't get along too well so I imagine its not too often that two individuals tolerate each other enough to actually mate. It reminds me of why we don't often see coyote wolf hybrids even though they can successfully reproduce together.
Quick layman’s question: Are Ravens and Crows similar in their social behavior, intelligence, and memory? I have heard crows are extremely social and ID people they dislike and stuff like that. I was just curious.
So which one of them scared the crap outta me in Texas 28 years ago when it tried to get into the gym by smashing against the window?
That one was HUUUUUGE!
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Thanks for this. I can tell them apart when I’m up close and personal but the description of the difference in the tail feathers will greatly help. 🤗
Kind of reminds me of kids trying to curl their tongue 👅 🥰
Raven - holy shit that thing s is the size of a turkey!
I don't think they give a shit about being graceful. They have more important things to think about.
(kinda the same as the difference between a 360 and a SAT in acro paragliding, then)
https://www.earth.com/news/crows-hold-grudges-for-up-to-17-years/
And falcons.
And toads.
And rabbits.
Crows: usually seen in the North. Watching the wall for some reason
Crows are more friendly and human scale
(Because the mind has a hard time comprehending vastness)
Nice chart. Thanks.
From my memories of a trip I took some years ago, it can be hard to tell if it's a crow or a raven, until you see a raven and see it's almost twice the size of a crow.
(image from https://avianreport.com/identification-raven-crow/)
I saw a raven in Iceland do a roll in mid-air! My book about ravens says that they basically just do it to goof and to show off.
I never saw a raven or crow do a roll, but one thing that sparked my interest was seeing a crow "sunbathe".
from wikipedia:
We don't have ravens here, but we do get American Crows & Fish Crows. I can only tell them apart if they're vocalizing...
I'm in the coastal Southeastern US & didn't even realize their range was that far north...
Fish Crows „Cah“. Presumably they also pahk the cah in the yahd.
I can tell a Fish Crow when they say uh-uh...as in no, you won't...
I live in a forest between a small rook of ravens and a pair of pairs of nesting crows, and it's interesting to watch the bird politics going on.
Ravens commute much further than crows do on the regular.
That one was HUUUUUGE!