Listen to the common raven
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the common raven
The common raven is a bird in the family Corvidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults measure about 68 cm, have a wingspan of about 121 cm and weigh around 1.0 kg.
What does the common raven sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as call and flight call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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.
Related birds in the genus Corvus
More from the family Corvidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a common raven sound like?
You can hear 7 recordings of the common raven on this page, including its call and flight call. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the common raven endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the common raven as “least concern”.
What family does the common raven belong to?
The common raven (Corvus corax) belongs to the family Corvidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Common Raven (Corvus corax) (W1CDR0001449 BD6) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Corvus corax - Northern Raven by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Ulm, Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany by Benjamin Mayer – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Flight call · Schenna, South Tyrol, Trentino-South Tyrol by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Bear Head Lake State Park, St. Louis, Minnesota, United… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Common Raven – US National Park Service by NPS – Public domain (NPS) · NPS
- Common Raven – Cabrillo National Monument by Xeno-Canto.org – Public domain (NPS) · NPS
- Wikidata Q25357 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Common raven – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Accipiter (R. Altenkamp, Berlin) – CC BY-SA 3.0