Ravens and crows are both members of the Corvidae family, which also includes jays, magpies, and nutcrackers. They are large, black birds that can look quite similar at first glance. However, there are several key physical differences that can help you distinguish between a raven and a crow.
Size
The most noticeable difference between ravens and crows is their size. Ravens are significantly larger than crows. An adult common raven is around 24-27 inches long (60-70 cm) and weighs around 2.6 pounds (1,200 grams). They have a wingspan of approximately 4.5 feet (1.4 meters). Comparatively, the American crow measures 16-21 inches (40-55 cm) long and weighs around 1 pound (500 grams). Their wingspan is about 3 feet (1 meter).
So if you spot a large, black corvid in the wild, it is most likely a raven rather than a crow based on size alone. Of course, regional species variations can make size identification more difficult. For example, fish crows tend to be smaller than American crows. And common ravens themselves can vary somewhat in size based on where they live.
Shape
When observed in flight, ravens and crows also differ in shape. A raven’s tail feathers appear wedge-shaped or triangular. Their tails are longer proportionally than a crow’s tail. Crows have more squared or fan-shaped tails. A raven’s wings also appear longer and more fingered at the tips.
Voice
Ravens make a wide array of calls. But they are best known for their deep, croaking “tok” or “gronk” vocalizations. These calls differ greatly from the higher-pitched “caw caw” noise of crows. The raven’s calls can be individually distinctive, allowing the birds to recognize each other by voice. Young ravens instinctively mimic sounds and calls. Some can even mimic human speech to a degree.
Beak
Ravens have larger, heavier, thicker beaks than crows. A raven’s beak also tends to curve more noticeably at the end. The thickness and curve make it easier for a raven to tear open carcasses and dig through debris for food.
Throat Feathers
Adult ravens have elongated throat feathers called hackles. When puffed up, these feathers cover a raven’s throat entirely. Crows lack these hackle feathers. But on very rare occasions, individual crows can develop some throat feathers as they age.
Flight Style
A raven’s flight style also differs from a crow’s. Ravens tend to soar and glide more, holding their wings in a slight V-shape. Crows flap their wings more frequently during flight, creating more of a flat wing line rather than a V-shape.
Where They Live
While crows and ravens overlap in some areas, they also occupy different natural habitats. Ravens prefer remote forests, mountaintops, and cliffs. Crows thrive in human-altered environments like agricultural fields, parks, and urban areas.
So if you spot a big, black corvid in a city or along the side of the road, chances are it’s a crow rather than a raven. Seeing one deep in the woods is more indicative of a raven.
Range
In North America, ravens inhabit a larger geographic range than crows. Ravens live across much of the continent, including the high Arctic. The common raven’s range spans from Alaska to Newfoundland and much of the western United States. Crows occupy a more limited range sticking primarily to the southern United States and Mexico up to central Canada.
Social Behavior
Crows are highly social and gather in large flocks that sleep and forage together. In contrast, ravens do not form large foraging flocks. They are usually seen alone or in pairs, even outside of breeding season. Ravens may congregate in small groups at carcasses or roosts but these groups pale in comparison to a crow mob.
Aerial Maneuvers
Watching corvids fly can further help identify species. Ravens perform aerobatic flight displays more often than crows. They spin, dive and somersault in the air, often as a mating display. Crows sometimes engage in aerial stunts, but these complex aerial maneuvers are a hallmark behavior of ravens.
Tail Position
When perched, ravens hold their tails at a slight angle or straight down. A crow’s tail angles back away from the body onto the perch. This can be noticeable when watching them take flight as ravens tend to lift their tails vertically before leaving a perch.
Head Tufts
Some populations of ravens have feather tufts on their neck that are visible when perched. Most notably, the thick-billed raven found in parts of Europe and Asia has prominent shaggy throat feathers. Lacking these head tufts is a clue that you are looking at a crow rather than a raven.
Cooperative Behavior
Ravens engage in intriguing cooperative behaviors, like group mobbing of predators and joint nest building. Pairs cooperate to find food and defend territories. Such cooperation is less common in crows that have looser social structures.
Nesting Sites
Ravens typically nest on cliffs, desert canyons, or tall trees including pines and redwoods. They build large stick nests lined with soft materials like bark, moss, fur, or grass. Crows nest in a wider variety of sites like trees, shrubs, ledges, or electric utility poles. Their nests are a sturdy bowl of twigs, lined with materials like bark, grass, moss, and feathers.
Diet
Ravens are omnivores, but they prefer scavenging on carcasses as their primary food source. They also hunt for small animals, raid food caches of other animals, and eat insects and fruit. Crows are more omnivorous and flexible, eating a wide variety of nuts, seeds, fruits, eggs, nestlings, mice, and carrion.
Intelligence
Ravens are considered the most intelligent birds of the corvid family. They have the largest brains relative to body size of any bird species. Ravens excel at problem-solving, flexible thinking, and social cognition. Crows are also highly intelligent birds that can remember human faces, use tools, and pass on learned techniques to their young.
Summary of Differences
Raven | Crow |
---|---|
Larger | Smaller |
Wedge-shaped tail | Square tail |
Croaking vocalizations | Cawing vocalizations |
Longer, thinner beak | Shorter, thicker beak |
Shaggy throat hackles | No throat hackles |
Soaring flight | Flapping flight |
Prefers remote habitat | Adapts well to human areas |
Smaller population range | Larger population range |
Solitary or paired | Gregarious flocks |
Aerobatic displays | Few aerial stunts |
Tail pointed down when perched | Tail angles up when perched |
Build huge stick nests on cliffs | Build nests in trees and ledges |
Scavenging carnivores | Omnivorous diet |
Exceptional problem solvers | Also highly intelligent |
Conclusion
While similar, ravens and crows show key physical differences mainly centered around their size, proportions, habitat preferences and social patterns. Ravens and crows belong to the same family so they share some common traits, but each species has unique adaptations. Watching flying patterns, listening for calls, noting the tail shape and observing where the birds feed are the best ways to discriminate these black birds in the field. Their distinctive features illuminate the differences between these two remarkable corvid species.