Species-Specific Management (SSM)
Ravens
The common raven (Corvus corax) is a wary species of bird that avoids human activities by inhabiting high elevation lands.
Physical Differences (from Heinheich's 1989 "Crows in Winter"):
- Crows average around 17 inches long, and ravens about 24-27.
- A raven weighs about four times that of a crow.
- Crows have a wing span around 2.5 ft., and ravens about 3.5-4 ft.
- A raven's wing sometimes makes a prominent "swish, swish" sound, while a crow's wingbeat is usually silient.
- Ravens have pointed wings, while crows have a more blunt and splayed wing tip.
- Crows have a fan-shaped tail (squared-off), while raven tails are long and wege-shaped.
- Besides having a bigger, more powerful bill, a raven's bill is curved, while a crow has a more-or-less flat bill. Additionally, atop a raven's bill is a tuft of hairs absent on crows.
- As a result of being larger and more powerful, ravens are the more efficient predator. (Predation is a very small percentage of crow and raven diets.)
In the past, this species has had extremely low populations and only recently has appeared to increase in numbers. Its occurrence within the southern Appalachian forests is unusual. Other occurrences are much more northern and westward. Highwalls of abandoned mines, highway bank faces, and rocky cliffs may be a special niche for this bird. It is conspicuous and may be a species worth featuring and worth considering for special management.
Suggestions:
- Create nest ledges, e.g. during mine and quarry reclamation and highway construction activity. These ledges should
- have a roof 10-20 inches (about 25-50 cm) or more high
- be protected on one side
- have an average width of 25 inches (63.5 cm)
- be 36 or more feet (11.2 m)off the ground
- have a nearly vertical or undercut surface below them
- be 1.4 miles (2.2 km) or more apart
- Keep people farther away from the nest than 650 feet (200m)
- Prevent road construction closer than 650 feet (200m)
- Prevent destruction of the birds (which are easily mistaken for crows)
- Educate people about the nature of the bird and its fate.
Other Resources:
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This Web site is maintained by R. H.
Giles, Jr.
Last revision January 17, 2000.