Common Raven

About the Common Raven

Massive, intelligent, and unmistakable once you know it, the Common Raven dwarfs the familiar crows, with a heavy black bill, shaggy throat feathers, and a long, wedge-shaped tail obvious in flight. Its voice is a deep, croaking gronk rather than a crow's caw.

Ravens are among the most clever of all birds, famous for problem-solving, playful aerial rolls and tumbles, and a willingness to eat almost anything - carrion, small animals, insects, eggs, and scraps. They often travel in pairs, soaring and cavorting on the wind above canyons and open country.

In Texas the Common Raven is a bird of the west and the Hill Country, at home over the deserts, mountains, and rocky canyonlands of the Trans-Pecos and Edwards Plateau, present year-round. In parts of South Texas it is replaced by the smaller Chihuahuan Raven.

A note from behind the lens: ravens are wary and smart, so a long lens and a patient approach pay off. Watch for birds riding the updrafts along a canyon rim, and catch them banking against blue sky or perched on a wind-sculpted snag.