A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between " crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned to different species chiefly on the basis of their size. The largest raven species are the common raven and the thick-billed raven.

Etymology

The term "raven" originally referred to the common raven (''Corvus corax''), the type species of the genus ''Corvus'', which has a larger distribution than any other species of ''Corvus'', ranging over much of the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

. The modern English word ''raven'' has cognates in all other Germanic languages, including Old Norse (and subsequently

modern Icelandic Icelandic (; is, íslenska, link=no ) is a North Germanic language spoken by about 314,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Iceland, where it is the national language. Due to being a West Scandinavian language, it is most closely re ...

) and Old High German , all of which descend from Proto-Germanic . Collective nouns for a group of ravens (or at least the common raven) include "rave", "treachery", "unkindness" and "conspiracy". In practice, most people use the more generic "flock".

Extant species

* ''

Corvus albicollis The white-necked raven (''Corvus albicollis'') is somewhat smaller (50–54 cm in length) than the common raven or its nearest relative, the thick-billed raven ''C. crassirostris''. It is native to eastern and southern Africa. Descriptio ...

'' – white-necked raven (eastern and southern Africa) * '' Corvus corax'' – common raven (northern hemisphere) * '' Corvus coronoides'' – Australian raven (Australia) * ''

Corvus crassirostris The thick-billed raven (''Corvus crassirostris''), a corvid from the Horn of Africa, shares with the common raven the distinction of being the largest bird in the corvid family, and indeed the largest of the passerines. The thick-billed raven a ...

'' – thick-billed raven (Horn of Africa) * ''

Corvus cryptoleucus The Chihuahuan raven (''Corvus cryptoleucus'') is a species of crow in the family Corvidae that is native to the United States and Mexico. Description The proportions resemble the common raven with a heavy bill, but is about the same size as a c ...

'' – Chihuahuan raven (United States and Mexico) * ''

Corvus mellori The little raven (''Corvus mellori'') is a species of the family Corvidae that is native to southeastern Australia. An adult individual is about in length, with completely black plumage, beak, and legs; as with all Australian species of ''Corv ...

'' – little raven (southeastern Australia) * '' Corvus rhipidurus'' – fan-tailed raven (eastern Africa and Arabian peninsula) * '' Corvus ruficollis'' – brown-necked raven (northern Africa, Arabian peninsula, Greater Middle East) * '' Corvus tasmanicus'' – forest raven (Tasmania, southern Victoria and north-east NSW in Australia)

Extinct species

* †'' Corvus moriorum'' –

Chatham raven The Chatham raven (''Corvus moriorum'') is a prehistoric raven formerly native to the Chatham Islands (New Zealand). The closely related New Zealand raven, ''C. antipodum'' occurred in the North and South Islands of New Zealand. ''C. antipodum' ...

* †'' Corvus antipodum'' – New Zealand raven * †'' Corvus corax varius morpha leucophaeus'' – pied raven

Gallery

File:Head of Raven.jpg, Head of a common raven File:Corvus corax jouveniles.jpeg, Common ravens File:Corvus cryptoleucus Arizona 2.jpg, Chihuahuan raven File:Fan-tailed raven.jpg,

Fan-tailed raven The fan-tailed raven (''Corvus rhipidurus'') is a passerine bird of the crow family native to Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Description The fan-tailed raven is completely black including bill, legs and feet and the plumage has a pur ...

File:Australian Raven Sydney University.jpg, Australian raven File:Ravaged Raven in Flight.jpg, A raven with a damaged wing. It can still fly with ease.

References

External links