The difference between a raven and a crow. Interesting world of nature: raven and crow

Among the representatives of the earth's fauna there are a wide variety of representatives: some of them are quite cute, others cause disgust or bewilderment; some are timid and even timid, others, on the contrary, are scandalous and violent; some belong to rare, endangered species, others are common on almost all continents and are known to everyone. After reading the article prepared by the editors of the site, you will finally find out what is the difference between a raven and a crow.

How to distinguish a raven from a crow

The life and inclinations of “our little brothers” are described in many TV shows and books, but very often it is not some rare, almost mythical exotics that become more unexpected, but our close neighbors. Here they are - they live nearby, “nearby”, and we usually abandon them without attention.

Why? Most likely, because it seems to us that we have already learned almost everything about nature and its inhabitants who surround us. Why, in this case, even now rarely does anyone know that the raven is not at all the “husband of the crow”, but a separate species of birds, which includes males and females? Previously, I was also mistaken until I found out this question for myself in a little more detail.

So, the crow and the black raven are different birds, and belong to the family of corvids of the passerine series. Although some of us do not distinguish between these birds, which may seem very similar to each other.

Crow

The raven is the largest representative of the corvid family of the passerines; its length can reach 70 centimeters and its body weight can reach 1.5 kilograms. This bird is distinguished by its blue-black coat, thick, slightly bent cone-shaped beak, long wings and a medium-length tail. There are now sixty-five species of ravens, which are distributed almost throughout the world, except New Zealand and South America. They are found in forests, steppes, deserts and mountains.

In winter, birds live in schools in landfills near cities. Nests are built on trees, rocks, coastal cliffs and high structures. The same nesting site is captured from generation to generation.

Black Raven is strong bird nests in trees deep in the forest. Crows only live in pairs. These birds are distinguished by great devotion and fidelity to their mate. Quite often they sit huddled close to each other and rush around, as if connected by the threads of crow love.

Black crows are quite hardy birds; they have keen eyesight, excellent hearing and a keen sense of smell. These properties make them accurate hunters of small rodents and game. And the fact that they can withstand both heat and frost equally well makes it possible for them to live in the north, in the tropics, deserts, at elevations at an altitude of more than four thousand meters above sea level and in other places.

Crow

The crow is smaller in size than the raven. In Russia, the most common species is the gray crow. She has a black tail and head, and her body is smoky gray. The gray crow lives in Northern Europe, North America, throughout Scandinavia and even beyond the Arctic Circle. On the lands of the former Soviet Union The hooded crow is widespread up to the Yenisei, beyond which the territory of black crows advances.

Crows, our closest neighbors, are well adapted to survive in urban environments. They are not afraid of street noise, noisy human bustle, or a polluted habitat. These are omnivorous birds: in forests they feed on rodents, insects, carrion, in megacities they pick up leftover food near human habitation, in landfills and garbage dumps.

It should be noted that we see crows all year round, but some are mistaken in believing that these are the same individuals. When researchers first started ringing crows, it turned out that Moscow birds spend the winter near Kharkov and Kiev, St. Petersburg birds near Paris, Murmansk birds near St. Petersburg, and Arkhangelsk crows visit the Moscow region in winter. In the spring they return to their native lands and renew old nests.

When the first rays of the sun begin to warm in the spring, on the willows and poplars that crows have chosen to build their nests, activity begins to boil with loud croaking that drowns out all neighboring sounds. Birds are busy in their homes, completing their construction and laying them with new branches, lining the bottom with moss, feathers, and dry grass. All these are indisputable signs of spring, from which human hearts rejoice, even without paying attention to the fact that the voices of these birds are rough and tuneless.

As previously mentioned, a crow is half the size of a raven, and it lives half as long. There is a belief that Ravens live for three hundred years, but their actual lifespan is much shorter. According to scientists, in wildlife these birds live up to 10-15 years. However, at home with appropriate care and favorable conditions life cycle can double or even triple.

Crows in myths and legends

Crows and ravens are considered the most highly developed among other birds. They are characterized by rare intelligence and dexterity. In some countries, these birds are protected by law.

However, despite everything positive traits these birds, their image in folklore is associated with dark forces. In particular, the black raven is often mentioned in folk legends and fairy tales where it is required to resurrect a murdered young man with the help of living and dead water, which is most often carried by this particular bird.

The fact that the raven voluntarily feeds on carrion has given reason for many centuries to consider it the herald of death, associated with bloodshed, war and violence. During times Kievan Rus flocks of such birds were perceived as harbingers of an attack by the Tatars.

And now people say: “If a raven cries over a house where a sick person lies, it is Bad sign" And historians are also familiar with this fact. When Alexander the Great entered Babylon, a great flock of ravens accompanied his army. And only after Alexander died, it became clear to everyone why crows appeared at this particular time and in such huge numbers.

• It should be noted that the ancient Greeks had great respect for the raven. They considered it a sacred bird, seeing off Apollo, the patron of the augurs. In the opinion of the latter, this bird has supernatural power and can foretell the future.

• The Danes dedicated the raven to the god Odin. It was believed that Odin has two ravens, which he sends every morning to collect information about what has happened in the world. In the evening they come and whisper to him what they learned. And according to legend, the raven was once white, but because of his talkativeness he was painted black.
• In Tibet, the raven is a symbol of mediation between heaven and earth. Since ancient times he was revered there by making sacrifices.
• In Russian folklore, a raven is a bird: “An old raven will not caw by.” In the West and in the East, there are many different beliefs that this bird has the gift of magic, prophecy, as well as the ability to predict weather changes and death.

Once upon a time, superstitious people listened to the caw of a crow many times every morning. Based on whether this number was even or not, the weather was predicted. According to folk beliefs about warlocks and witches among the Slavs, crows were their reliable helpers.

Raven as a pet

It has been recorded that the raven is able to imitate human speech, and therefore is perceived as a messenger capable of speaking the language of people. And since the color of his plumage is black, and his voice itself is dissonant, he is associated only with bad news, although honest.

Crows are considered extremely intelligent birds: they quickly learn to understand a person and easily obey her orders. If they are caught in captivity as yellowmouths, then, by repeating incoherent words, they learn them very quickly.

Some may argue that many birds are known, for example, magpies, starlings, and parrots perfectly copy human speech. But the imitation of a human voice in terms of the clarity of word pronunciation among crows is quite high and even better than that of parrots.

And the crows, which today live in the courtyards on Yaroslavov Val, also know how to speak and amuse people with their dialogues! Lexicon crows are quite large - up to 30-40 words. Raised from chicks by humans, crows become very devoted to them. This is confirmed by a lot of evidence from people who kept these birds in their homes. Having become accustomed to their owners, they may even try to protect them, showing aggression towards strangers or animals.

Of course, there is no need to specially catch crows for home care, however, if fate gives you a chick with a broken wing, or a small crow that has slipped out of the nest, then raise it with love. The bird will grow big, beautiful, powerful over the summer and will be an extremely loyal raven to you.

Conditions of detention

There will be no special problems for him with food, since crows are undemanding and omnivorous. Naturally, you need to feed representatives of the corvid family as varied as possible: pieces of meat, fish, poultry, bread, cheese, steamed grain, and so on.

However, it is worth observing certain rules and requirements:

• chicken eggs should be added to the diet once every 1-2 days;
• chicks should be given minced meat;
• Birds should not be fed spicy, fried or salty foods.

Regarding the living conditions, the cage should be free, because crows love space, so they cannot live in a parrot cage. And it’s even better to be without a cage at all, using an aviary, which is much more spacious. Or after the bird gets used to it a little, leave the cage open, guaranteeing him free movement.

So, if you do everything right, take care and love your winged guest, then the reward for you and your family will be the cheerful shine of the black and blue beads of his eyes and the love of a bird that will never leave you.

The main differences between a raven and a raven

The most important difference between birds is the weight and body length of animals. Ravens are slightly larger in size and weight than black crows.

The second indicator is habitats. The raven's distribution range exceeds that of the crow.

Black Crow

Black Raven

Let's start with the wonderful stumbling block that the great and mighty Russian language has laid before us. Raven and crow are birds of different species. Here in English language there is no such confusion as we have: a raven is called raven, and a crow is called crow.
Both birds belong to the same genus, ravens (Latin: Corvus) from the corvid family (Latin: Corvidae). In addition to several species of ravens and several crows, the genus Corvus also includes rooks and jackdaws. The common raven has black plumage with such a characteristic bluish or greenish tint that the black color with a cold metallic sheen was called “raven wing color.”
The Raven differs from the black crow in size; it is noticeably larger - on average one and a half times larger. In flight, the difference between the birds is noticeable in the shape of the tail: the raven’s tail is wedge-shaped, while the crow’s is rounded. There are other differences that are difficult to see from afar, for example, the shape of the beak or the feathers on the throat, which characteristically puff up on a raven. Crows unite in flocks and feel great in the city, but crows rarely fly into the city and prefer to stay alone or in pairs. A flock of crows reacts to a raven with hostility, as to any bird of prey big size. Close kinship does not protect against mutual aggression.
Both birds feed on carrion and are omnivores. Both the raven and the crow are so smart that their level of intelligence can be compared to mammals. They make logical inferences, use tools, have a complex language of their own, and quite possibly can count. Ravens and crows can, in principle, be tamed. A bird living with a person is able to imitate human speech, and she understands words and uses them meaningfully, and not mechanically, like a parrot. People, as a rule, cannot distinguish one crow from another, but crows perfectly distinguish between people and can convey information about a “bad” person to their companions.
Which bird is included in myths, legends, poetry, cinema and computer games? IN virtual world Crows are much more common. But there are also black crows. The color is mourning, it croaks ominously, and the exact belonging to biological species is not significant for the symbol.
In the Old Testament story about the flood and Noah's Ark, the ravens were also punished by changing color. Initially, the raven was white, but when Noah released him from the ark to see if the water had subsided, the raven began to peck at the corpses and did not tell the righteous man what he was sent for. In anger, Noah cursed the bird, and the raven became black and bloodthirsty - the complete opposite of the white and meek dove that brought the righteous man an olive branch from the dry land in its beak.

In Russian, the verb “crawling” has become synonymous with “causing trouble.” During times Stalin's repressions In the USSR, black NKVD official vehicles used to transport prisoners were nicknamed “funnels.”
Counting crows is an activity for lazy people in Russian.
But such disrespect for these birds is not always fair. After all, from Old Testament we know that it was the Ravens who brought food to the prophet Elijah in the wilderness (1Ts 17:4), and the color of King Solomon’s hair in the song is compared to the color of the Raven’s wing (Song 5:11).

In patristic literature, in particular in the life of St. Anthony the Great, we find a story about the saint’s acquaintance with another ascetic, Paul of Thebes, to whom every day a raven brought bread, providing him with food.

In Slavic fairy tales, the raven brings the hero dead and living water, and his name is respectful, his patronymic is Voron Voronovich.
And the Romans did not hear anything sinister in the raven’s cry, but just an excuse - they say, “tomorrow, tomorrow!” (“cras, cras!”).
But in Great Britain there was a belief that if the ravens left the Tower, the fortress would collapse and the end of the British monarchy and Great Britain in general would come. During World War II, Winston Churchill ordered the ravens of the Tower to be fed for the sake of peace of mind.

Be that as it may, raven and crow are just birds, and often very cute, and therefore deserve respectful treatment, like any of God’s creatures.

Crow

This representative of its kind is the largest of all. The body of the bird reaches 60-65 cm in length. The wingspan is on average one and a half meters. Females are slightly smaller: their weight ranges from 800 to 1300 g, the weight of males is approximately 1100 - 1550 g. The color of the plumage is always uniform and has a beautiful tint of lilac or greenish color. By the way, this is one of the features that allows you to determine how a raven differs from a crow. Although young individuals do not have iridescence, with age the birds acquire this beauty. The bird's eyes are dark in color, with a brown iris, and its beak is black, pointed and powerful. The winged claws are curved and very strong. When the bird flies, it is noticeable that its tail is wedge-shaped. In freedom, this bird can live up to 15 years, and in captivity up to almost 40! Ravens feed mainly on the meat of dead animals and birds. They can also hunt other flying birds and their chicks, rodents, insects, eat eggs and catch fish.

Crow

This bird is smaller than a raven. Its length usually does not exceed 50 centimeters. This feathered representative is found almost anywhere in the city, in the forest, in open spaces and at sea. It most often builds its nests in trees. There are gray and black breeds of this bird. Grays are calmer and more cautious. Although these birds live in pairs, by autumn they gather in numerous flocks. In addition, the crow is easy to tame, and it can eat from the hand, although it cannot be expected to become attached to any particular person. By the way, this is the difference between these two birds, because the raven is afraid of human presence. What else distinguishes a raven from a crow, what is the difference between these birds, because they are similar to each other in their colors and shape? It is also interesting that the common carrion crow is often confused with other representatives of birds of the same genus, for example, with the rook, jackdaw and even the magpie. Therefore, it is useful to know the characteristics of each bird.

What's the difference?

So, having learned about the characteristics of these two birds, you can understand how a raven differs from a crow. Let's start with the fact that it is practically impossible to meet a raven in the city, since these birds try to stay away from humans. Crows, on the contrary, often circle around the city in search of nuts and other delicacies. Also, the flight of the first bird is very similar to the gliding of a predator; none of this family has such a feature. In addition, another difference is noticeable in flight: if you look at the tail, the crow’s tail is straight, while the raven’s is wedge-shaped. Also in the pictures you can see the difference between a raven and a crow. The photo shows the size of both birds. Yes, the crow is slightly smaller than its relative. In addition, if a raven can only be black, then a crow can be gray.

Jackdaw

To understand how a jackdaw differs from a crow, it is worth considering the special characteristics of this bird. Typically, jackdaws have a body length of 34-39 centimeters. Weight does not exceed 280 grams. The main feature by which these two birds can be distinguished is the color of the plumage and size.
Jackdaws are black in color, but the head and chest are mostly silver-gray. Birds' eyes are light, may be greenish or blue. The iris is almost white. Since this bird needs a roof over its head, it lives near those houses where there are loopholes into the attic or ventilation holes. Usually these birds “huddle” in flocks and are often found with rooks, which, by the way, are also confused by some with crows.

Rook

To determine how a rook differs from a crow, you need to know it characteristics. The color of this bird is always black and has a purple tint. And the older the winged one, the lighter the base of its beak. In very old individuals, this area may completely lose its black pigment. The size of the rook resembles a crow; it also does not grow more than 50 cm. Weight fluctuates around 400 grams.

Rooks are migratory birds and return home in the spring. Although in last years They are increasingly staying in the city for the winter. They eat a variety of foods. They look for seeds, rummage through waste, and feast on worms and insects. Sometimes they can catch a mouse. Many of their actions are similar to other birds, so the question arises “how does a rook differ from a crow.” Although they are the same size and color, the crow's beak is slightly wider. You can also pay attention to your gait. In rooks it is stepping, and they seem to crouch when they stand still, while crows mostly jump and stretch out. As noted, adults have a light area on their beak, and by this feature they can be easily distinguished from a crow.

Magpie

The magpie is a real beauty with contrasting black and white plumage. But, surprisingly, many can still confuse it with other crows. Therefore, it will be interesting to consider how a crow differs from a magpie, because their size, beak and shape are similar in everything. This white-sided bird is also about 50 centimeters long and weighs just over 200 grams.

A special difference between these two crows is their color. While the crow has unsightly black or gray plumage, the magpie has festive plumage. Black areas have a blue tint. The black tail is of a slightly different tone, it is greenish. Also, in addition to the white belly, the bird has white stripes on its shoulders. In addition, the difference can be seen in the structure of the tail. In the magpie it is stepped and longer than its body. If this bird is found in the city, then most likely it sits on the treetops or flies through the park area.

You can distinguish this “cheerful” bird by its various sounds, which common crow doesn't know how to publish. Magpies are capable of more than just screaming, they love to chirp, hiss, lightly click and grunt. These birds practically do not flock together; they soar alone, can unite briefly in a small group, and in the spring meet their mate, with whom they remain for life.

In Russian, a black bird with a black beak is denoted by the same word. Because of this, confusion arises with bird species. Raven and crow are completely different birds, although they belong to the same genus of ravens (Corvus). They differ external features and behavior. Let's take a closer look at both birds. Let's start with the black raven.

Characteristic

The black raven is a massive bird from the order Passeriformes. The body length reaches 60-68 cm, the length of the wings in males is up to 473 mm, in females up to 460 mm. The weight of males is up to 1,560 grams, of females - up to 1,315. The wingspan is up to 120 cm.

This is a black bird with a black beak. The plumage is of a single color: it is black and has a greenish or bluish tint. Young birds have no low tide. Small feathers at the base are grayish. The beak is very strong and pointed. The claws are powerful and curved. The tail is wedge-shaped, which is clearly visible in flight. The flight of a raven resembles the soaring of birds of prey.

The bird lives in the countries of Eurasia, North America and North Africa. The raven's habitats are forests, mountains, and coasts.

Features of behavior

The raven is considered a rare living creature. It is possible to meet a raven in any season. IN winter period it appears near a person’s home, in garbage dumps. By nature, the raven is distrustful and prudent. He moves well on the ground. Before flying, the bird jumps several times. In captivity, they live from 15 to 70 years.

Crows do not live in the same territories every time. Some individuals fly away for the winter. In Turkmenistan, after the appearance of young animals, the number of flock members is 40-70 individuals; in the Caucasus in winter, flocks are smaller - 10-12 individuals. Birds migrate to distances of up to 200 km. During nesting, crows can fly impressive distances - to the shores of seas and rivers, to the foothills.

Birds form nests in forest areas, avoiding taiga areas. In treeless areas, rocks and coastal cliffs are developed. Nests are placed in trees: linden, oak, spruce, and in mountainous areas - at heights.

Food

The raven is not selective in its diet and is quite omnivorous. Its main food is carrion. In this regard, the raven is considered an orderly. He hunts in the steppes, on the mountains, on the shores of seas and rivers. Raven collects:

• the bodies of dead animals are carrion;
• moles, shrews;
• rodents;
• bird eggs and chicks;
• fish;
• bugs, mollusks, insects.

Nesting

Crows are considered to have reached sexual maturity at 2 years of age. Birds create unbreakable pairs. Nesting territories occupy 3-4 km, and sometimes up to 10. The locations do not change. If a nest has been destroyed, the raven forms another in the same area.

A couple usually creates two nests and uses them in different period time. The nest has existed for several decades. Mating games and pair formation begin in early February or a little later, depending on the habitat.

The male and female build a new nest together. It is placed on the tops different trees: oak, linden, aspen. The height at which the nest is located is usually 20 meters. If the bird is not disturbed, it can build nests near human habitation. Nesting structures are located on towers, temple belfries, and on the roofs of buildings.

The nest is constructed in the stem forks of trees. The nest itself is made of strong branches, and wool is used as flooring. Egg laying begins in mid-February. The further north the territory, the later the laying begins.

The number of eggs laid is 4-6, sometimes up to 7. The interval between clutches is 1-2 days. Egg size - 50x33 mm. Color - greenish-blue. Experts do not know for sure whether the female incubates the eggs alone or alternately with the male. Both parents provide food to the chicks. The chicks fly out in mid-May. After this, they live with their parents for a long time; mortality among young individuals is very high. Grown-up chicks leave adult birds only in the fall.

Legends and stories

According to biblical legend, this black bird with a long beak was previously white. The coloring changed as a punishment after Flood. When Noah released the raven from the ark, the bird did not return to tell the righteous man whether the water had gone, but began to eat the corpses. Noah cursed the raven, and it became black and predatory.

However, it was the raven that fed the prophet Elijah in the desert, so the biblical attitude towards these birds is not always negative.

The legend of the elders speaks of Saint Paul of Thebes, to whom a raven brought a piece of bread every day.

In the fairy tales of the ancient Slavs, Voron Voronovich appears. It is he who brings living and dead water.

In England it was believed that the monarchy would collapse with the departure of the ravens. For this reason, Churchill ordered birds to be fed during the war so that people would not worry.

In Stalin's times, NKVD cars were black, which is why they were called “voronok”.

This is the basic information about the crow. Let's move on to the description of the black crow.

General information

This is a black bird with a black beak. She lives in Europe and East Asia. In Russia it settles in the Siberian regions and on Far East. There are many known species of this bird.

Carrion crows are divided into four main subspecies:

• gray;
• eastern gray;
• black;
• eastern black.

The settlement territories of these birds often mix, as a result of which new species of crows appear. We will consider the description of the bird further.

External data

The carrion crow looks like a rook. They belong to the same genus Corvus. She has black feathers with a greenish, bluish or purple tint. This is especially clearly visible when hit sun rays to the plumage.

The beak and paws are also black. There are small feathers on the nostrils. The tail is rounded. Compared to the raven, this bird is more modest in size. Its body length is 48-52 cm. It weighs 700 grams.

Features of behavior

The crow is a pair-bonding bird. IN winter time can form flocks and occupy the nests of other birds. They often find their food in the same habitat as rooks and magpies.

The crow makes characteristic sounds. You can easily recognize this bird by its voice. Its voice has one timbre, the bird emits a cry “k-r-a-a”. Sitting on the top level of a tree, the crow is noisy because it caws many times without stopping, creating only short pauses.

Sometimes the croaking lasts for hours. At intervals the bird changes its location. The flapping of her wings is leisurely, there is no rush or fuss in her flight.

Carrion crow feeds on carrion, grains, insects, mammals and food waste of people. In search of food, birds fly to human settlements. The crow finds food in garbage dumps near human houses. However, having found better products than regular trash, will prefer them. There are cases where city crows easily stole food from stores during unloading.

Offspring

Crows begin breeding when they reach the age of two years. Birds make couples. Nests are built from durable branches and placed on the tops of buildings or treetops.

In places where there are no people, the nest can be located on the ground. The female incubates the eggs. Their number is 4-6 pieces. The male takes care of the family's nutrition. After 17-19 days, the chicks appear. At first they are naked, and after a month they are covered with feathers.

Grown-up birds do not always form their own families; they often continue to live with their parents and help feed new generations of chicks.

Interesting stories

The crow is a bird often called the winged rat for its intelligence and courage.

When feeding the chicks, adult females pre-soak the bread in puddles.

Crows are able to reproduce the sounds of human speech. Ornithologists say that these birds can solve simple logic problems. Birds distinguish between traffic lights. When it's red, they slowly eat carrion on the road. When the signal turns green, they quickly fly away.

Experts recorded the entertainment of crows. The birds, not far from the tennis court, got hold of a ball and began to bounce it around on the roof. The game ended only when the ball rolled down from the roof.

Crows steal the eggs of large birds - bustards and little bustards. They love to feast on other people's eggs.

In nature, the bird lives 10-60 years.

So, how do these birds differ?

Differences in manners

Raven and crow differ in nuances of behavior. These include:

• Flight feature. The raven flies in the same way as other predators - it flaps its wings heavily and leisurely. The crow waves often and easily. Her flight is faster.
• Start of flight. The raven begins its flight by jumping, and the crow takes off immediately.
• Various sounds made. The raven croaks and the crow clicks.
• Raven intelligence. This bird is considered very smart and developed, its level of intelligence is not inferior to primates.

External differences

By appearance It is difficult to confuse the two species of these birds. Raven is very large bird up to 70 cm long, it is one and a half times larger than a crow. The crow has a more modest size - up to 56 cm long.

The plumage of birds also varies. The raven has pure black feathers, while the raven has black and gray feathers.

The shape of a raven's tail is wedge-shaped, while that of a crow is rounded.

The raven's crop has shaggy plumage, while the crow has no plumage there at all.

Lifestyle Differences

Many differences can be noticed in the lifestyle. A raven, having reached adulthood, finds a mate to whom it remains faithful throughout its life. The crow looks for a mate only for the nesting period. The rest of the time she lives in a pack.

The raven builds two nests, which he and the female use in turn for a period of time. for long years. Migration of the crow family occurs rarely, only when there is a real threat. The nests of these birds are located high up, making them almost impossible for humans to find. In addition, the nest has an impressive size.

A crow may well build a nest where a person lives. Most often, these birds live in various populated areas. The crow's behavior in the city indicates that the birds are well adapted to such living conditions. You can notice the lack of fearfulness and their reserved caution.

Birds can distinguish between people. They observe who is approaching them, are able to critically assess the situation and structure their behavior. Depending on the situation, the bird either flies away or continues to watch the person.

When united in flocks, birds become aggressive. They can attack animals - cats and dogs. In a flock, birds closely monitor the behavior of its members. If someone shows concern, the pack will respond responsively.

Crows like to gather in flocks, and they join groups of rooks and jackdaws. In autumn, such flocks move vast distances. The raven does not join flocks - it makes all flights alone.

The chicks also vary. The raven's chicks are large, and a month after hatching they are practically no different from adults. They leave their parents' nests early. Crows have much smaller chicks; they are in no hurry to leave their parents.

Other differences

In addition to those listed earlier, there are other differences:

• The raven lives in subtropical and temperate lands climatic conditions in Eurasia and North America. The crow lives in Eurasia and Northeast Africa. This is the significant difference. Crows have a much more modest habitat.
• Lifespan. The life span of a raven is much longer than that of a crow. The average lifespan of the latter is 8 years. There are legends about the life of a raven, according to which they can live up to 300 years.
• The crow is not embarrassed by the proximity of a person. She calmly settles in cities. Raven is used to living alone or in pairs.

Are there any common features?

Despite many differences, there are also general signs, uniting these black birds with a black beak. Here they are:

• Both of them feed on carrion, performing a sanitary function. Both species of birds are omnivores and do not disdain any food.
• Both of them have developed intelligence. Both species of birds have their own language, they are capable of logical thinking, know how to handle tools, imitate human speech. It is even possible that these birds can count.

Be that as it may, both the raven and the crow are beautiful birds that live next door to us.

Recently it was asked in the comments interest Ask: What is the difference between a raven and a crow? Perhaps it's just a male and a female? Of course not. These are two completely different species of the Corvidae family from the order Passeriformes. As a matter of fact, such confusion occurs, fortunately, only in the Russian language. For example, in my native Ukrainian, raven is “kruk”, and crow is “crow”. In English the word raven is "raven", and a crow is called "crow".

Even more confusion occurs when trying to distinguish a raven from a crow by appearance, but knowing some characteristic features, everything is quite simple. It’s worth clarifying right away that there are several types of crows. The most common of them are the gray crow (Corvus cornix) and the black crow (Corvus corone). And here the most interesting thing is that the black crow lives mainly in Western Europe and in the eastern part of Eurasia, but we do not have it in the CIS (except for the eastern part of the Russian Federation). Here you can only find gray crow, which has a gray body and black wings, head and tail. Thus, it is not difficult to distinguish it from a completely black crow. We are interested in the differences between the black crow (Corvus corone) and the common crow (Corvus corax).

What is the difference between a raven and a crow?

Dimensions. The body length of a common raven can reach 60 cm, while the black crow is smaller in size - the body length of an adult is up to 50 cm. A raven is noticeably larger than a crow.

Body mass . Adult males of the common crow can weigh 1-1.5 kg, while the black crow can only weigh up to 700 g.

Beak size. The common raven has a much thicker beak than the black crow. Although from afar it is not always noticeable.

Plumage of the crop. Distinctive feature Older individuals of the common raven have elongated craw feathers. They characteristically puff up, resembling a “beard”.

Tail shape. This difference can only be noticed when the bird is flying. The crow's tail is rounded, while the common raven's tail has a wedge-shaped end.

Lifestyle. Black crows often gather in groups, while crows stay alone or in pairs.

Habitat. Ravens can often be found in the city, while the common raven avoids large populated areas and prefers to live in forests.

The crow has a nasal sound similar to the sound "ka!" (you can listen to her voice below).

In addition, it is worth noting that crows and crows do not get along with each other and a flock of crows often attacks a lone raven. So, this is in no way a male and a female of the same species, and certainly not a husband and wife.

The difference between a crow and a rook

Some readers may have the following question. “How is it that we don’t have black crows? After all, they are found everywhere in populated areas, staying in groups, sitting on wires, picking up nuts and cawing at passers-by.” The fact is that these are not black crows, but ordinary rooks. They are often confused with each other. But the difference between crows and rooks is very noticeable. The base of the rook's beak, where the nostrils are located, is bare. Due to this, his beak appears lighter. The crow's is covered with black feathers.

And finally, watch a funny video about a domestic black crow, which takes care of four-legged pets and feeds them food.