- Ravens are large black birds, with a blue-purple iridescence to their
feathers.
- They are approximately 24-27 inches long at maturity, and their wingspan
doubles that.
- The beak and feet are black, and the iris of the eye is brown.
- Young birds are less glossy than adults, but they lose the dullness
when they reach maturity.
- They range from islands in the northern Arctic to deserts of North
Africa, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Coasts of North America. They
can be found in England, in Mexico, in Turkey, and many other locations.
Preferences vary with species, but most prefer wooded areas, especially
along the coast and in the mountains.
- Ravens nest in single pairs (pairs which stay away from other nesting
pairs). Evidence suggests that, once paired, ravens will remain mated
for life.
- Within that nest, the female raven will lay 4 - 7 eggs, which are
greenish, blotched with brown. Both parents incubate the eggs, and feed
the hungry young.
- Young stay in the nest for approximately 6 - 10 weeks.
- Ravens are omnivorous. They will eat anything which is edible (and
many things which aren't). Their usual diet contains insects, seeds,
berries, carrion (the bodies of animals killed by creatures other than
the raven), the eggs and young of other birds, and occasionally small
mammals.
- When living near humans, ravens will also eat human garbage.
- Ravens have a wedge-shaped tail, distinguishing them from crows, which
have a fan-shaped tail.
- Weight: 24-30 oz.
- Wing span: 40-48"
- Sexual Maturity: 1 year
- Mating Season: Jan-March
- Incubation Period: 18-20 days
- No. of Eggs: 3-7 avg.
- Birth Interval: 1 year
- Lifespan: 15 years in the wild
- Typical diet: Rodets, insects, grains
- The raven has a large, complex and varied vocabularty.
- Male ravens are larger than females.
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