Raven Crow

[blahdiblah]

Can anyone tell me if a raven is a crow, or is it two different species... this might be silly but we could not figure it out?

[Whickerman]

Raven is the common name given to the largest species of passerine birds in the genus Corvus. Corvids are also commonly referred to as 'crows' and other species in the same genus include jackdaws, and rooks.

In most of Europe and North America, raven is used as a synonym for the widespread Common Raven, and much of the literature and culture surrounding ravens refers to that species.

Ravens have high intelligence and are perhaps the smartest birds.Their intelligence might be on par with canids like wolves.

An obsolete collective noun for a group of ravens (or at least the Common Raven) is an "unkindness".

[horsestache1]

As Wickerman says yes, they are all part of the same family, which also includes, magpies and Jay!!

I did think that the noun for a group was a "killing of Ravens, and an "Unkindness of Crows" could be wrong though!

[Whickerman]

I always thought that it was a Murder of Crows.

[blahdiblah]

Great thanks for the useful info on this... ;)

[Thunderbird+]

I did a quick check on collective nouns for the crow family (corvids) I hope they're all correct :-
Crows (A Murder)

Ravens (An unkindness)
Rooks (A Building)
Magpies (A Tiding)
Jays (A Band or Scolding)
Chough's (A Clatering)
Could'nt find anything for jackdaws though, any offers ?

Just to add a little more info to Wickermans and Horsestache good answers, the main difference between the crow and the raven is the ravens massive size 63cm with a huge bill, against the crow at a medium size of 46cm. The Raven is found mostly in western England and Wales, most of Scotland and wide-spread throughout Ireland.

[Thunderbird+]

......And did you know it's the Raven thats carved on the tops of totem poles to represent the mytjical Thunderbird in some native American coltures ?

[burnhal]

It is apparently a train of jackdaws!! See this http://www.orkneybiodiversity.co.uk/animalquiz.htm l for a quiz on names of various bird/animal groups.

Regarding the crow- dont forget that in the northern part of scotland and parts of Ireland it is replaced by the hooded crow- they do interbreed where they overlap

[Clanad]

Here's an example of the Raven Totem from the Tlingit Indian's of southeastern Alaska mentioned by Thunderbird+...

[B00]

Can't help with your question, I just pottered in to tell blahdiblah that i love their avatar, it's brilliant.....lol

[wolf63]

.........and if that is the size of the birds in Alaska I don't want to meet the pussy cats.

:-)

[Thunderbird+]

What a fantastic raven totem Clanad!
Heres some other exellend carvings from Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, just scroll down-
http://www.seestanleypark.com/totems/page6tote ms.htm

Legend has it, if the ravens ever decide to leave the tower of London, the tower will fall! The 'Raven master' has ways of making them stay. see below-
http://europeforvisitors.comeurope/countries/u k/tower-of-london-ravens.htm

[Kleiber]

I love ravens! Hate crows in general (got too many round here!) but the ravens are beautiful. When they fly over my place, I can usually hear them before I see them. They're magnificent birds and I'm lucky that there are so many living nearby.

[Cetti]

They are gorgeous, aren't they, Kleiber, and it's great to know they're making such a comeback over all of the country after years of persecution. They were once seen only in rocky upland areas, but now they're back on lowland moors and farmland.

It's a joy to see the playful tumbling in the skies and hear the 'barking' calls of these huge birds here in Dorset - long may they stay.

[Kleiber]

Wow, Cetti, you've got them in Dorset?? Are you on the coast?
I'm in the Welsh mountains, so they're pretty common here, along with the usual buzzards, kites & goshawks. I never tire of watching any of these, though - to me they're all absolutely magnificent creatures. K x

[Cetti]

Yes, they've been here for quite some time, but only seen occasionally, and that oddly enough was right on the shore. But now whenever we go out we see them.

Last month seven flew over us and landed on an old hangar roof ( disused airfield) all sounding like an aerial pack of little dogs!