Raven

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Common raven of North America (Corvus corax principalis) in flight 3782 Common Raven in flight.jpg
Common raven of North America (Corvus corax principalis) in flight

A raven is any of several larger-bodied passerine bird species in the genus Corvus . These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens. Names are assigned to different species chiefly based on their size.

Contents

The largest raven species are the common raven and the thick-billed raven; these are also the largest passerine species.

Etymology

The term "raven" originally referred to the common raven (Corvus corax), the type species of the genus Corvus, which has a larger distribution than any other species of Corvus, ranging over much of the Northern Hemisphere.

The modern English word raven has cognates in all other Germanic languages, including Old Norse (and subsequently modern Icelandic) hrafn [1] and Old High German (h)Raban, [2] all of which descend from Proto-Germanic *hrabanaz. [3]

The collective noun for a group of ravens is an "unkindness". [4] In practice, most people use the more generic "flock". [5]

Extant species

Extinct species and morphs

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corvidae</span> Family of perching birds

Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, magpies, jackdaws, jays, treepies, choughs, and nutcrackers. In colloquial English, they are known as the crow family or corvids. Currently, 135 species are included in this family. The genus Corvus containing 47 species makes up over a third of the entire family. Corvids (ravens) are the largest passerines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thick-billed raven</span> Species of bird

The thick-billed raven, a corvid from the Horn of Africa, shares with the common raven the distinction of being the largest bird in the corvid family, and indeed the largest of the passerines. The thick-billed raven averages 64 cm (25 in) in length, with a range of 60 to 70 cm and weighs approximately 1.15 kg (2.5 lb) in females and 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) in males on average. Its size is about the same as the largest subspecies of common raven but some common raven subspecies are rather smaller and, going on average weights, the thick-billed raven is likely the heaviest extant passerine. The thick-billed raven is about 25% heavier on average than the Australasian superb lyrebird, which is sometimes erroneously titled the largest passerine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fan-tailed raven</span> Species of bird

The fan-tailed raven is a passerine bird of the crow family native to Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown-necked raven</span> Species of bird

The brown-necked raven is a larger bird than the carrion crow though not as large as the common raven. It has similar proportions to the common raven but the bill is not so large or deep and the wings tend to be a little more pointed in profile. The head and throat are a distinct brownish-black giving the bird its English name, while the rest of the plumage is black glossed with purple, blue or purplish-blue. Like the common raven, thick-billed raven and white-necked raven, it is one of the larger raven species. The feathers of this species often fade quite quickly to a brownish black and the bird can look distinctly brown by the time it moults. The feet, legs and bill are black. The dwarf raven was formerly considered a subspecies but this bird now appears to be closer to the pied crow than this species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common raven</span> Large, black, passerine bird of the Northern Hemisphere

The common raven is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. It is a raven known by many names at the subspecies level; there are at least eight subspecies with little variation in appearance, although recent research has demonstrated significant genetic differences among populations from various regions. It is one of the two largest corvids, alongside the thick-billed raven, and is possibly the heaviest passerine bird; at maturity, the common raven averages 63 centimetres in length and 1.47 kilograms in mass. Although their typical lifespan is considerably shorter, common ravens can live more than 23 years in the wild. Young birds may travel in flocks but later mate for life, with each mated pair defending a territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crow</span> Index of animals with the same common name

A crow is a bird of the genus Corvus, or more broadly a synonym for all of Corvus. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait, but is rather a general grouping for larger species of Corvus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chihuahuan raven</span> Species of bird

The Chihuahuan raven is a species of crow in the family Corvidae that is native to the United States and Mexico.

References

  1. Oxford English Dictionary entry for "raven".
  2. Simpson, J.; Weiner, E., eds. (1989). "Raven". Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN   0-19-861186-2.
  3. "Raven". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  4. Lipton, James (1991). An Exaltation of Larks. Viking. ISBN   978-0-670-30044-0.
  5. "Google Ngram Viewer". books.google.com. Retrieved 5 January 2020.