Raven
Corvus corax • Birds
Ravens are all black, have a hefty bill, shaggy throat feathers, slender pointed wings, and their wedge-shaped tail identifies them from a crow, which has a fan-shaped tail. Ravens are the largest passerine bird. The members of the Corvidae family are among the most intelligent of birds. They cannot talk, but can mimic a wide variety of sounds. They are resourceful, quick to learn, and profit from experience.
The bill of a raven is long and stout which makes it powerful and multipurposed; they are largely scavengers, eating carrion. They also eat insects, fruit, nuts, and berries. They will cache bits of food to be eaten later. Ravens will cruise along roads looking for road kill.
Ravens build large bulky nests of sticks and bones with a deep cup lined with grasses, hair, or shreds of bark often on cliff faces, 45’ – 80’ trees, or in a saguaro cactus. They lay 4 – 7 green-gray eggs with brown blotches. The male feeds the female while she is nesting.
