Common raven
Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758
The common raven (Corvus corax) is a bird in the family Corvidae, part of the order Passeriformes and the group of songbirds and other perching birds. It is in the small size class, with an adult body mass of 928 g (from 689 g to 1.625 kg) and a wingspan of 1.35 m (from 1.2 m to 1.5 m).
Quick facts about the common raven
The common raven is a terrestrial omnivore of forest habitats and is partially migratory, with a geographic range of 52,290,000 km². It lays 4.8 eggs per clutch with 1 clutch per year, incubates them for 19 days, reaches sexual maturity at 3 years and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Weight
- 689 g – 1.63 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 63 cmsrc for Length
- Wingspan
- 1.2 m – 1.5 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 21.8 years – 69 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 19 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 3 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the common raven?
Photos of the common raven
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the common raven live?
Not recorded
What is the common raven?
The common raven or northern raven (Corvus corax) is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. There are 11 accepted subspecies with little variation in appearance, although recent research has demonstrated significant genetic differences among populations from various regions. It is one of the two largest corvids, alongside the thick-billed raven, and is the heaviest passerine bird; at maturity, the common raven averages 63 centimetres (25 inches) in length and 1.47 kilograms (3.2 pounds) in weight, up to 2 kg (4.4 lb) in the heaviest individuals. Although their typical lifespan is considerably shorter, common ravens can live more than 23 years in the wild. Young birds may travel in flocks but later mate for life, with each mated pair defending a territory.
Common ravens have coexisted with humans for thousands of years and in some areas have been so numerous that people have regarded them as pests. Part of their success as a species is due to their omnivorous diet; they are extremely versatile and opportunistic in finding sources of nutrition, feeding on carrion, insects, cereal grains, berries, fruit, small animals, nesting birds, and food waste. Some notable feats of problem-solving provide evidence that the common raven is unusually intelligent.
Over the centuries, the raven has been the subject of mythology, folklore, art, and literature. In many cultures, including the indigenous cultures of Scandinavia, ancient Ireland and Wales, Bhutan, the northwest coast of North America, and Siberia and northeast Asia, the common raven has been revered as a spiritual figure or godlike creature.
From the Wikipedia article “Common raven” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_raven&oldid=1380659711), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the common raven sound like?
Is the common raven endangered?
The common raven is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the common raven classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCorvidae
- genusCorvus
- SpeciesCorvus corax Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Corax sylvestris minor, Corone maxima, Corvus corax leptonyx, Corvus corax pamirensis, Corvus corax sibiricus, Corvus corax tschuiensis, Corvus corax ussurianus, Corvus fangshannus, Corvus leptonyx, Corvus magnus, Corvus major, Corvus montanus
Other names and names in other languages (176)
- American ravenEnglish
- CORAEnglish
- CorbieEnglish
- CorbyEnglish
- Northern ravenEnglish
- Northern ravenEnglish
- Northern ravenEnglish
- RavenEnglish
- ስሜናዊ ቁራAmharic
- HræfnOld English
- غراب أسحمArabic
- الغُراب المألوفArabic
- الغُرَابُ الأَسحَمُArabic
- الغُرَابُ الشَّائِعArabic
- الغُرَابُ النُوَيحِيُّArabic
- الغُرَابُ الْمَأْلُوفArabic
- غراب شماليArabic
- غراب أسود شائعArabic
- ৰাভেন পখিলাAssamese
- CuerguAsturian
- KakakewAtikamekw
- НухъаAvaric
- КьерхачAvaric
- ЧӏегӏергъедуAvaric
- Qara qarğaAzerbaijani
- ҠоҙғонBashkir
- КрумкачBelarusian
- ГарванBulgarian
- করভাস কোরাক্সBangla
- ཕོ་རོགTibetan
- Marc'hvranBreton
- corb comúCatalan
- КурмыжMari
- КурныгучкыжMari
- КурныжMari
- Шим курныгучкыжMari
- ҪӑханChuvash
- ÇăханChuvash
- Қарғаcjs
- CorbuCorsican
- kachgagooCree
- QuzğunCrimean Tatar
- krkavec velkýCzech
- KrëkKashubian
- cigfranWelsh
- CigfrainWelsh
- ravnDanish
- KolkrabeGerman
- GaronaLower Sorbian
- ΚοράκιGreek
- ΚόρακαςGreek
- Κοινός ΚόρακαςGreek
- (Κοινός) ΚόρακαςGreek
- KorakoEsperanto
- granda korvoEsperanto
- cuervoSpanish
- Cuervo ComúnSpanish
- Cuervo grandeSpanish
- tulukaruqCentral Yupik
- KaarenEstonian
- RonkEstonian
- ronk e. kaarenEstonian
- ErroiBasque
- غراب معمولیPersian
- korppiFinnish
- RavnurFaroese
- Grand CorbeauFrench
- RaawenNorthern Frisian
- CorvatFriulian
- ròcaisScottish Gaelic
- fiach dubhScottish Gaelic
- fitheachScottish Gaelic
- fithichScottish Gaelic
- neabhanScottish Gaelic
- Corvo grandeGalician
- FeeaghManx
- Feeagh VooarManx
- 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌱𐌽𐍃Gothic
- עורב שחורHebrew
- और काला कौआHindi
- RapakUpper Sorbian
- hollóHungarian
- ԱրջնագռավArmenian
- KornikoIdo
- ХьаргӀаIngush
- HrafnIcelandic
- Corvo imperialeItalian
- ワタリガラスJapanese
- watarigarasuJapanese
- ყორანიGeorgian
- TulugaqKalaallisut
- ВындKabardian
- Хусхунkjh
- ҚұзғынKazakh
- 큰까마귀Korean
- КырнышKomi-Permyak
- Къаргъа - QarğaKarachay-Balkar
- VaroiKarelian
- قرا رەشKurdish
- QirgurgKurdish
- Bran vrasCornish
- MarghvranCornish
- КаргаKyrgyz
- CorvusLatin
- RammLuxembourgish
- КIвагъLezghian
- RaofLimburgish
- Corflld
- kranklysLithuanian
- paprastasis kranklysLithuanian
- krauklisLatvian
- курныжгоракMari
- wjika'qakuMi'kmaw
- гавранMacedonian
- GharabMaltese
- Хон хэрээMongolian
- u·kšudmyh
- КренчErzya
- Zhį́ʼiiNavajo
- RaavLow German
- राजा कागNepali
- raafDutch
- ramnNorwegian Nynorsk
- Corbînnrm
- Grand còrbOccitan
- ᑲᑲᑭOjibwa
- GaagaagiOjibwa
- Korbivaroiolo
- СынтOssetic
- Grand corbieuPicard
- krukPolish
- kruk (zwyczajny)Polish
- Kruk zwyczajnyPolish
- CroassPiedmontese
- corvo-comumPortuguese
- CorvoPortuguese
- Corv grondRomansh
- CorbRomanian
- KakarachiRomany
- СуорYakut
- CuorvuSicilian
- BulddogasNorthern Sami
- duottargarjáNorthern Sami
- gáranasNorthern Sami
- garjáNorthern Sami
- goarpaNorthern Sami
- penecitosNorthern Sami
- ruŋkaNorthern Sami
- krkavec čiernySlovak
- krokarSlovenian
- korbiAlbanian
- korrakuAlbanian
- GavranSerbian
- Обични гавранSerbian
- Обични гавран - GavranSerbian
- Obični gavranSerbian
- TivaniSardinian
- korpSwedish
- Aswadi kunguruSwahili
- சாதாரண ரேவன்Tamil
- КозгынTatar
- ЗоғTajik
- เรเวนThai
- Gara gargaTurkmen
- kuzgunTurkish
- Bayağı kuzgunTurkish
- КускунTuvinian
- КрукUkrainian
- ВоронUkrainian
- крук звичайнийUkrainian
- QuzgʻunUzbek
- KroikoiVeps
- Quạ thườngVietnamese
- Grand coirbåWalloon
- 渡鴉Chinese
- 渡鸦Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common raven
Other species in the same genus Corvus.
Rook
Corvus frugilegus
Hooded crow
Corvus cornix
Carrion crow
Corvus corone
House crow
Corvus splendens
Pied crow
Corvus albus
Jungle crow
Corvus macrorhynchos
CompareCommon raven vs RookCommon raven vs Hooded crowCommon raven vs Carrion crowCommon raven vs House crow
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common raven?
The common raven is a bird in the family Corvidae and the order Passeriformes, within the group of songbirds and other perching birds.
How big is the common raven?
The common raven has an adult body mass of 928 g, ranging from 689 g to 1.625 kg, and a wingspan of 1.35 m, ranging from 1.2 m to 1.5 m.
What does the common raven eat?
The common raven is an omnivore.
What habitat does the common raven live in?
The common raven lives in forest habitats and has a terrestrial lifestyle.
Is the common raven endangered?
No. The common raven is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the common raven live?
The lifespan of the common raven is given as 21.83 years, with values up to 69 years reported.
How many eggs does the common raven lay?
The common raven lays 4.8 eggs per clutch, with 1 clutch per year and an incubation period of 19 days.
Who named the common raven?
The common raven was named Corvus corax by Linnaeus, 1758.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common raven (Corvus corax). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-raven
“Common raven (Corvus corax).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-raven.
@misc{common_raven_2026,
title = {Common raven (Corvus corax)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-raven},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}