Talk:Common Raven

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May 25, 2007 Featured article candidate Promoted
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[edit] 19th Century?

I thought one of the Stuart kings passed a law related to the legend, which is why the government maintains the birds to this day. Ring any bells with anyone else?

[edit] Pied Raven

I've removed the following, as finding sources has been really hard and it's not essential to the Common Raven article. Some things are more trouble than they're worth :)

" it eventually disappeared in the mid 20th Century, probably due to selective collection for its unusual plumage."

Kla'quot 09:12, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Diurnal or nocturnal?

Ravens and related birds are often associated with darkness and night in mythology, due to their color, but the article on crows claims they're actually active during the day and use their dark coloration to hide in shadows. Does this apply to ravens as well? (Or the rest of Corvidae, for that matter.) -- Milo —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.171.2.42 (talk) 22:13, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

As I was informed after I posted my question below, questions like this are supposed to be posted to the Wikipedia:Reference_desk, but since this question has gone unanswered for so long, ravens are diurnal like crows. But the Reference Desk would probably have a more conclusive answer for you. --arkuat (talk) 23:49, 4 May 2008 (UTC)
AFAIK all corvids are diurnal, even when migrating. Jimfbleak (talk) 05:26, 5 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Another Author

I have no idea how to do the link, but there's a raven named Matthew in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series

69.181.115.136 (talk) 09:00, 23 December 2007 (UTC)N

Thanks for the note. It is already mentioned on Cultural depictions of ravens - this page would get too unwieldy if we tried to fit absolutely everything in. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 09:43, 23 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Kudos

I really like this article. --NameThatWorks (talk) 00:13, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

thanks :) cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 00:38, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] How solitary are ravens?

I live in Oakland, California, and most of the sure raven sightings (hearings, I should say) I've had have been out in the wild country places far from where I live. Yet I remain persuaded that I've heard (and seen too) ravens in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Sometimes I get into situations where I'm watching them fly to see whether the tail is fan-shaped or diamond-shaped, but there's one clincher that some sources seem to vouch for, but the seemingly-more-reliable sources never mention: viz. ravens never flock.

Now I know that Corvus brachyrhynchos flocks often, and broods cooperatively. I don't really know that Corvus corax doesn't do the same; I've just read that ravens (corax) tend to be solitary (meaning alone or in pairs), but not from sources that make me feel as if they're giving me reliable information. Are C. corax solitary during the lead-up to nesting season? Are they solitary during the season that follows fledging?

So I'm asking all of you experts on how to distinguish ravens (C. corax) from crows (C. brachyrhynchos) to let me know, if I see a small flock of large black corvids socializing and showing off to one another with aerobatic tricks (barrel-rolls, for instance, not necessarily somersaulting in midair), does that settle the case conclusively that they are brachyrhynchos and not corax? -- arkuat (talk) 08:03, 18 April 2008 (UTC)

According to the book Crows and Jays (one of the Helm Identification series) by Steve Madge and Hilary Burn, seeing a small flock doesn't rule out corax. To quote: "Usually met with in pairs or family parties, but non-breeders form quite large gatherings at favoured feeding sites and for communal roosting." (emphasis mine) And it says that (in early spring especially), small parties sometimes indulge in those acrobatic "tricks" you mention. It goes on to say that territorial birds are "remarkably tolerant" of other birds and that non-breeding flocks generally number in the 10s rather than the 100s. It finishes by saying that while the Common Raven is generally rather shy and wary of humans, in areas where it is unmolested, it can become "bold and fearless". I'm sorry this doesn't confirm any behavioural differences for you! MeegsC | Talk 10:03, 18 April 2008 (UTC)
All I can offer would be anecdotal, but I'll toss it out there anyway. I've seen a small group of ravens feeding on the same thing or in the same area, but I don't know if you'd call it a flock. It just seemed to me that they all happened to be in the same area for a little while. They didn't mind the presence of other ravens, but they weren't working cooperatively or anything the way other species will when they're part of a flock. I can't ever remember seeing a group of ravens flying together. Of course, you should probably take all this with a grain of salt, because here in the Appalachians ravens are uncommon, and the fact that they don't gather in flocks may have more to do with low population density than it does personality or inclination. I've also watched ravens on several trips to the Canadian Rockies where it seems like they're everywhere, and I never saw a flock of them, but as with so many other species, it might be something they only do at certain times of the year - and I've never been there in the winter. - Ken Thomas (talk) 11:44, 18 April 2008 (UTC)
I've seen ravens in the Golden Gate Park. The sheer size of them, and their bills, rules out crows. Sabine's Sunbird talk 00:18, 19 April 2008 (UTC)
And the deep call is very distinctive too Jimfbleak (talk) 05:26, 5 May 2008 (UTC)