How to tell Crow from Raven

Posted by Rosemary Drisdelle May 20, 2006

In my last article, The Intelligent American Crow, I highlighted some of the positive and interesting things about a common bird that many people dislike.

Common things are, well, common. When I see a black bird that looks like an American Crow, it's usually an American Crow, but when I'm really paying attention, about the only thing I could truly mistake for a Crow is a Raven. (I should probably point out that the name "Crow" is often used to refer to other species of Corvidae, but when I say "Crow" here, I mean the American Crow, pictured with my article.) I always have trouble distinguishing between Crows and Ravens. The last time I'm sure I saw a Raven was in the Nova Scotia countryside in late winter when I was looking for Bald Eagles.

Ravens are much less common than Crows, and they are seldom seen in cities, though a competent birder I know reported watching one walk across her front lawn in Halifax a few years ago. My map (Birds of North America by Kenn Kaufman, Houghton Mifflin, 2000) indicates that the normal range of Ravens includes all of Canada except the southern prairie provinces, Alaska, and the western regions of the United States including the mountains. In the rest of the US, they are rare at best.

One way that I can always tell the difference is by the sound of the bird's voice: a Raven's throaty croak sounds nothing like the "caw" of a crow. Even if I have not noticed the bird, one "cronk" tells me that I am in the presence of a Raven.

In Birding in Metro Halifax (Nimbus, 1996), Clarence Stevens describes some more distinctions between Ravens and Crows:

• Ravens are not seen in flocks.
• Ravens look ruffled at the throat when they are sitting.
• Ravens have wedge-shaped tails in flight: Crow's tails tend to be shorter and rather rounded.
• A Raven's bill is thicker than a Crow's bill.
• Ravens are bigger than Crows, although the sizes of a large Crow and a small Raven would be comparable.

Watch for my upcoming article where I relate some interesting and amusing Crow stories (American Crows and Carrion Crows).

Related articles:

Read a first-hand story of a pet crow: Ralph, an Unforgettable Pet Crow

An Alaskan Trip Fred Kane discusses Ravens on the second page of this article.