Common Raven

Corvus corax

What They Look Like

The Common Raven is a large black bird with a massive bill and long shaggy feathers on its chin and throat.  An adult stands about 24 inches tall and is larger then the common crow.  They can erect feather on their head in many different ways to show how they are feeling such as little “horns” of feathers which signify dominance.

  

Where They Live

In Michigan the Raven is common throughout the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula and is uncommon in the rest of the state.  They require large areas of forests for breeding in the Great Lakes and build stick nests mostly in trees and sometimes on rock cliffs and ledges.

What They Eat

The Raven is an opportunistic feeder meaning that they will eat just about anything it can find and can kill animals as large as gulls and medium sized mammals.  They will also cache their food for later.   

  

Things to Know

The Raven is widespread in the northern Lower Peninsula and in the Upper Peninsula and is increasing.  It is said to have the equivalent intelligence of a three-year-old and is a wonderful problem solver.  It is also one of the only social avian predators in our state.  They have a large vocal ability and can mimic most sounds found in nature and can even mimic human speech!

  

Why We Have One

MUCC got its Raven in June of 2003, it was raised by people from a very young age.  Rehabilitators tried to release it into the wild, but it had to be recaptured because it kept trying to take food from peoples’ picnic lunches!