A raven is one of several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied. They have black plumage and large beaks.
Species include:
- Corvus albicollis – White-necked Raven
- Corvus corax – Common Raven
- Corvus coronoides – Australian Raven
- Corvus crassirostris – Thick-billed Raven
- Corvus cryptoleucus – Chihuahuan Raven
- Corvus mellori – Little Raven
- Corvus rhipidurus – Fan-tailed Raven
- Corvus ruficollis – Brown-necked Raven
- Corvus tasmanicus – Forest Raven
- C. t. boreus – Relict Raven
Extinct:
- †Corvus moriorum – Chatham Raven
- †Corvus antipodum – New Zealand Raven
Smaller-bodied species in the genus Corvus include the crows, jackdaws, and the rook.
Most ravens eat some sort of fruit, such as dates, or berries. Most are omnivorous. The ravens look similar to another common bird, the crow, being related.
Famous quotes containing the word raven:
“I do not think that what is called Love at first sight is so great an absurdity as it is sometimes imagined to be. We generally make up our minds beforehand to the sort of person we should like, grave or gay, black, brown, or fair; with golden tresses or raven locks;—and when we meet with a complete example of the qualities we admire, the bargain is soon struck.”
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830)
“The raven himself is hoarse
That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan
Under my battlements.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“In some of those dense fir and spruce woods there is hardly room for the smoke to go up. The trees are a standing night, and every fir and spruce which you fell is a plume plucked from night’s raven wing.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)