Australian Raven
Corvus coronoides
The Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides) is a common crows, jays, and magpi found only in Australia, weighing about 644 g. The Australian raven is a passerine corvid bird native to Australia.
About the Australian Raven
The Australian raven is a passerine corvid bird native to Australia. Measuring 46–53 centimetres (18–21 in) in length, it has an all-black plumage, beak and mouth, as well as strong, greyish-black legs and feet. The upperparts of its body are glossy, with a purple-blue, greenish sheen; its black feathers have grey bases. The Australian raven is distinguished from the Australian crow, and other related corvids, by its long chest feathers, or throat hackles, which are prominent in mature birds. Older individuals and subadults have white irises, while the younger birds' eyes display blue inner rims; hatchlings and young birds have brown, dark irises until about fifteen months of age, at which…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Measuring 46–53 cm (18–21 in) in length with a 100 cm (39 in) wingspan and weighing around the 650 g (1+7⁄16 lb), the Australian raven is Australia's largest species of corvid. The adult Australian raven is an all black-bird with a black beak, mouth and tongue and sturdy black or grey-black legs and feet. The tibia is fully feathered and the tarsus is long, and the feet large and strong. It has white irises. The plumage is glossy with a blue-purple to a blue-green sheen, greenish over the ear coverts, depending on the light. The underparts are not glossy. Voice: The territorial call of the Australian raven is a slow, high ah-ah-aaaah (similar to the near-open front unrounded vowel (IPA:/æ/)) with the last note drawn out. It uses this call to communicate with other Australian ravens in the area. When giving this call, the species has a horizontal posture, holding its head forward and body parallel to the ground, while perched on a prominent position.
Where it lives
When to see it
The Australian Raven can be seen all year round, with peak activity in October. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an Australian Raven?
- Measuring 46–53 cm (18–21 in) in length with a 100 cm (39 in) wingspan and weighing around the 650 g (1+7⁄16 lb), the Australian raven is Australia's largest species of corvid. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an Australian Raven?
- The Australian Raven is a large sized bird weighing about 644 g.
- Where can you see an Australian Raven?
- The Australian Raven is endemic to Australia, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to an Australian Raven?
- The Australian Raven is most easily confused with the Little Raven, the Torresian Crow and the Pied Crow.
- Is the Australian Raven endangered?
- The Australian Raven is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Australian Raven for real
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