Quick answers
| Question | Answer | Scope | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What a group is called | An unkindness. Ravens are mostly alone or in pairs, but gather where food is concentrated. | Common raven, NPS Klamath Network article | NPS, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network | |
| What they eat | Almost anything: carrion, live prey (mostly mammals), arthropods, grains and fruit. | Common raven, NPS Klamath Network article and Arches National Park page | NPS, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network; NPS, Arches National Park | |
| Where they live | All year in many kinds of landscape, wherever there is food and a place to nest. They prefer empty country but also live around towns with steady food, such as dumps. | Common raven, NPS Klamath Network article | NPS, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network | |
| Eggs and chicks | The female lays 5 eggs on average. They hatch after almost 3 weeks, and the young leave the nest at 5–7 weeks. | Common raven, NPS Klamath Network article | NPS, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network | |
| Do they mate for life? | Once paired, they nest together for life, usually in the same place. | Common raven, Arches National Park page | NPS, Arches National Park | |
| Calls | Over 30 kinds of calls, and they can copy sounds around them, human speech included. Cabrillo puts raven calls in as many as 33 categories. | Common raven, Arches National Park and Cabrillo National Monument pages | NPS, Arches National Park; NPS, Cabrillo National Monument | |
| How big they get | About 24 inches long with a 53-inch wingspan. | Common raven, Cabrillo National Monument page | NPS, Cabrillo National Monument | |
| Raven or crow? | The raven is bigger, with a deeper call, a heavier bill, a wedge-shaped tail in flight and shaggy throat feathers. | Common raven compared with the American crow, NPS Klamath Network article | NPS, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network |
In the sources’ own words
What a group is called
National Park Service, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network, Common Raven“A group is called an “unkindness” of ravens.”
“Ravens are generally solitary or in pairs, but they do gather at concentrated or semi-permanent food sources.”
Scope: Common raven, NPS Klamath Network article
What they eat
National Park Service, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network, Common Raven“The omnivorous raven is a master forager, from scavenging carrion to taking live prey to eating arthropods, grains, and fruit!”
“Mammals dominate their prey, and the indigestible bits, such as fur and bones, are expelled as pellets, similar to raptors.”
National Park Service, Arches National Park, Ravens“Ravens are opportunists and will eat just about anything they can get their claws on.”
Scope: Common raven, NPS Klamath Network article and Arches National Park page
Where they live
National Park Service, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network, Common Raven“Ravens occur year-round in a wide variety of landscapes wherever food and a suitable nesting platform can be found.”
“While they prefer uninhabited areas, they also occur in rural and urban areas with steady food supplies, such as garbage dumps.”
Scope: Common raven, NPS Klamath Network article
Eggs and chicks
National Park Service, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network, Common Raven“The female lays an average of 5 ovate, green to olive or blue eggs with variable markings.”
“After almost 3 weeks the eggs hatch into nestlings that will fledge in 5–7 weeks.”
Scope: Common raven, NPS Klamath Network article
Do they mate for life?
National Park Service, Arches National Park, Ravens“Once paired, ravens nest together for life, usually in the same location.”
Scope: Common raven, Arches National Park page
Calls
National Park Service, Arches National Park, Ravens“Their sophisticated avian vocabulary is complex with over 30 types of calls.”
“The Common Raven can also mimic sounds from their environment including human speech.”
National Park Service, Cabrillo National Monument, Common Raven“In fact, it makes so many different calls that scientists have placed Common Raven vocalizations in as many as 33 different categories!”
Scope: Common raven, Arches National Park and Cabrillo National Monument pages
How big they get
National Park Service, Cabrillo National Monument, Common Raven“Length 24” Wingspan 53”…”
Scope: Common raven, Cabrillo National Monument page
Raven or crow?
National Park Service, Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network, Common Raven“Its deep call, large, stout bill, and wedge-shaped tail in flight distinguish the raven from the similar looking but smaller American crow…”
“Long, erectable feathers (hackles) on the raven’s throat also help distinguish the two.”
Scope: Common raven compared with the American crow, NPS Klamath Network article
What these sources do not say
- How long ravens live. None of these park pages gives a lifespan.