Edgar Allan Poe knew what he was doing when he used the raven instead of some other bird to croak out “nevermore” in his famous poem. The raven has long been associated with death and dark omens, but the real bird is somewhat of a mystery. Unlike its smaller cousin the crow, not a lot has been written about this remarkable bird. Here are 10 fascinating facts about ravens.
1. Ravens are one of the smartest animals. When it comes to intelligence, these birds rate up there with chimpanzees and dolphins. In one logic test, the raven had to get a hanging piece of food by pulling up a bit of the string, anchoring it with its claw, and repeating until the food was in reach. Many ravens got the food on the first try, some within 30 seconds. In the wild, ravens have pushed rocks on people to keep them from climbing to their nests, stolen fish by pulling a fishermen’s line out of ice holes, and played dead beside a beaver carcass to scare other ravens away from a delicious feast. If a raven knows another raven is watching it hide its food, it will pretend to put the food in one place while really hiding it in another. Since the other ravens are smart too, this only works sometimes.
2. Ravens can imitate human speech. In captivity, ravens can learn to talk better than some parrots. They also mimic other noises, like car engines, toilets flushing, and animal and birdcalls. Ravens have been known to imitate wolves or foxes to attract them to carcasses that the raven isn’t capable of breaking open. When the wolf is done eating, the raven gets the leftovers.
3. Europeans often saw ravens as evil in disguise. Many European cultures took one look at this large black bird with an intense gaze and thought it was evil in the flesh … er, feather. In France, people believed ravens were the souls of wicked priests, while crows were wicked nuns. In Germany, ravens were the incarnation of damned souls or sometimes Satan himself. In Sweden, ravens that croaked at night were thought to be the souls of murdered people who didn’t have proper Christian burials. And in Denmark, people believed that night ravens were exorcized spirits, and you’d better not look up at them in case there was a hole in the bird’s wing, because you might look through the hole and turn into a raven yourself.
4. Ravens have been featured in many myths. Cultures from Tibet to Greece have seen the raven as a messenger for the gods. Celtic goddesses of warfare often took the form of ravens during battles. The Viking god, Odin, had two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory), which flew around the world every day and reported back to Odin every night about what they saw. The Chinese said ravens caused bad weather in the forests to warn people that the gods were going to pass by. And some Native American tribes worshipped the raven as a deity in and of itself. Called simply Raven, he is described as a sly trickster who is involved in the creation of the world.
5. Ravens are extremely playful.The Native Americans weren’t far off about the raven’s mischievous nature. They have been observed in Alaska and Canada using snow-covered roofs as slides. In Maine, they have been seen rolling down snowy hills. They often play keep-away with other animals like wolves, otters, and dogs. Ravens even make toys—a rare animal behavior—by using sticks, pinecones, golf balls, or rocks to play with each other or by themselves. And sometimes they just taunt or mock other creatures because it’s funny.
6. Ravens do weird things with ants. They lie in anthills and roll around so the ants swarm on them, or they chew the ants up and rub their guts on their feathers. The scientific name for this is called “anting.” Songbirds, crows, and jays do it too. The behavior is not well understood; theories range from the ants acting as an insecticide and fungicide for the bird to ant secretion soothing a molting bird’s skin to the whole performance being a mild addiction. One thing seems clear, though: anting feels great if you’re a bird.
7. Ravens use “hand” gestures. It turns out that ravens make “very sophisticated nonvocal signals,” according to researchers. In other words, they gesture to communicate. A study in Austria found that ravens point with their beaks to indicate an object to another bird, just as we do with our fingers. They also hold up an object to get another bird’s attention. This is the first time researchers have observed naturally occurring gestures in any animal other than primates.
8. Ravens are adaptable. Evolutionarily speaking, the deck is stacked in the raven’s favor. They can live in a variety of habitats, from snow to desert to mountains to forests. They are scavengers with a huge diet that includes fish, meat, seeds, fruit, carrion, and garbage. They are not above tricking animals out of their food—one raven will distract the other animal, for example, and the other will steal its food. They have few predators and live a long time: 17 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity.
9. Ravens show empathy for each other. Despite their mischievous nature, ravens seem capable of feeling empathy. When a raven’s friend loses in a fight, they will seem to console the losing bird. They also remember birds they like and will respond in a friendly way to certain birds for at least three years after seeing them. (They also respond negatively to enemies and suspiciously to strange ravens.) Although a flock of ravens is called an “unkindness,” the birds appear to be anything but.
10. Ravens roam around in teenage gangs. Ravens mate for life and live in pairs in a fixed territory. When their children reach adolescence, they leave home and join gangs, like every human mother’s worst nightmare. These flocks of young birds live and eat together until they mate and pair off. Interestingly, living among teenagers seems to be stressful for the raven. Scientists have found higher levels of stress hormones in teenage raven droppings than in the droppings of mated adults. It’s never easy being a teenage rebel.
SOURCE
1. Ravens are one of the smartest animals. When it comes to intelligence, these birds rate up there with chimpanzees and dolphins. In one logic test, the raven had to get a hanging piece of food by pulling up a bit of the string, anchoring it with its claw, and repeating until the food was in reach. Many ravens got the food on the first try, some within 30 seconds. In the wild, ravens have pushed rocks on people to keep them from climbing to their nests, stolen fish by pulling a fishermen’s line out of ice holes, and played dead beside a beaver carcass to scare other ravens away from a delicious feast. If a raven knows another raven is watching it hide its food, it will pretend to put the food in one place while really hiding it in another. Since the other ravens are smart too, this only works sometimes.
2. Ravens can imitate human speech. In captivity, ravens can learn to talk better than some parrots. They also mimic other noises, like car engines, toilets flushing, and animal and birdcalls. Ravens have been known to imitate wolves or foxes to attract them to carcasses that the raven isn’t capable of breaking open. When the wolf is done eating, the raven gets the leftovers.
3. Europeans often saw ravens as evil in disguise. Many European cultures took one look at this large black bird with an intense gaze and thought it was evil in the flesh … er, feather. In France, people believed ravens were the souls of wicked priests, while crows were wicked nuns. In Germany, ravens were the incarnation of damned souls or sometimes Satan himself. In Sweden, ravens that croaked at night were thought to be the souls of murdered people who didn’t have proper Christian burials. And in Denmark, people believed that night ravens were exorcized spirits, and you’d better not look up at them in case there was a hole in the bird’s wing, because you might look through the hole and turn into a raven yourself.
4. Ravens have been featured in many myths. Cultures from Tibet to Greece have seen the raven as a messenger for the gods. Celtic goddesses of warfare often took the form of ravens during battles. The Viking god, Odin, had two ravens, Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory), which flew around the world every day and reported back to Odin every night about what they saw. The Chinese said ravens caused bad weather in the forests to warn people that the gods were going to pass by. And some Native American tribes worshipped the raven as a deity in and of itself. Called simply Raven, he is described as a sly trickster who is involved in the creation of the world.
5. Ravens are extremely playful.The Native Americans weren’t far off about the raven’s mischievous nature. They have been observed in Alaska and Canada using snow-covered roofs as slides. In Maine, they have been seen rolling down snowy hills. They often play keep-away with other animals like wolves, otters, and dogs. Ravens even make toys—a rare animal behavior—by using sticks, pinecones, golf balls, or rocks to play with each other or by themselves. And sometimes they just taunt or mock other creatures because it’s funny.
6. Ravens do weird things with ants. They lie in anthills and roll around so the ants swarm on them, or they chew the ants up and rub their guts on their feathers. The scientific name for this is called “anting.” Songbirds, crows, and jays do it too. The behavior is not well understood; theories range from the ants acting as an insecticide and fungicide for the bird to ant secretion soothing a molting bird’s skin to the whole performance being a mild addiction. One thing seems clear, though: anting feels great if you’re a bird.
7. Ravens use “hand” gestures. It turns out that ravens make “very sophisticated nonvocal signals,” according to researchers. In other words, they gesture to communicate. A study in Austria found that ravens point with their beaks to indicate an object to another bird, just as we do with our fingers. They also hold up an object to get another bird’s attention. This is the first time researchers have observed naturally occurring gestures in any animal other than primates.
8. Ravens are adaptable. Evolutionarily speaking, the deck is stacked in the raven’s favor. They can live in a variety of habitats, from snow to desert to mountains to forests. They are scavengers with a huge diet that includes fish, meat, seeds, fruit, carrion, and garbage. They are not above tricking animals out of their food—one raven will distract the other animal, for example, and the other will steal its food. They have few predators and live a long time: 17 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity.
9. Ravens show empathy for each other. Despite their mischievous nature, ravens seem capable of feeling empathy. When a raven’s friend loses in a fight, they will seem to console the losing bird. They also remember birds they like and will respond in a friendly way to certain birds for at least three years after seeing them. (They also respond negatively to enemies and suspiciously to strange ravens.) Although a flock of ravens is called an “unkindness,” the birds appear to be anything but.
10. Ravens roam around in teenage gangs. Ravens mate for life and live in pairs in a fixed territory. When their children reach adolescence, they leave home and join gangs, like every human mother’s worst nightmare. These flocks of young birds live and eat together until they mate and pair off. Interestingly, living among teenagers seems to be stressful for the raven. Scientists have found higher levels of stress hormones in teenage raven droppings than in the droppings of mated adults. It’s never easy being a teenage rebel.
SOURCE
Photo Credit: Deidre Lantz Source
Beautiful
They are smart but perhaps they should all go out and get caught since (according to what is written here) they live 23 years longer in captivity..
When I leave this plant (if I reincarnate) I wish to come back as a raven or crow.
I never heard about that
They probably live longer in captivity because they're safe from predators and other things that may shorten their lifespan. That's just nature. Sometimes you die young.
Just like some people to think captivity is better than freedom.
Raven feathers!!! ...what she said.
I work as a raptor/vulture educator, and you can usually double the lifespan of a bird in captivity. I am not saying that being captive is better than being wild, all our birds would have been returned to the wild if they could have survived there, but our birds are all handicapped in some way. This extending of the lifespan is due to a number of things, including being safe from predators, having a veterinarian when they show signs of illness or injury, and having their food delivered to them daily, so there is no issue with starvation, or lead poisoning, as we only feed healthy, and lead free food. Also their weight is carefully monitored so that the birds do not get to fat, or too thin, therefore are kept at a healthy weight. Thank you for the fun post, I enjoyed reading it.
ya oldest raven in northern Manitoba is 80 average life is actually 60 years
a human can live another 23 years on life support, but that doesn't mean its a happier life.
I enjoyed the facts presented here. Thanks too for the beautiful photos that accompanied the article. Shelley
Hello, ill just like to say, that actually in many european OLD tradicions the raven is treated much better than you described, i dont mean that what you say is wrong but you were refering to the myths created by the church, in Celtic tradition they are messenger of the gods, wise and cunning, a bit like the coyote arquetipe, they are also the ones who brougth the magic to the humans, like Prometeus stealing the fire from the gods, simbol of Morrigan one of the main godesses, in norse tradicion Odin, father of all the gods had two ravens Hugin and Mugin (Thougth and Memory) who were his ears and eyes in the world of humans, in greek mythology Apolo, sun god has a Raven as his main allied. When the cristian church started spreading trougth europ they made an effor in demonising the old traditions, Like with the snake, one of the main power anymals for pagans got turned into a representation of evil (when they say that St Patric got rid of all the serpent of Ireland, they mean he is the one who destroy the Pagan cults), like the god Pan and Cernunnos , both horned gods of the wild, joy and nature, they were made into the figure of todays devil, horned and goat legged.
There is a lot of misconception about the old european cults, but the roots of it they are beautyfull1
wonderful. Loved the video
I have watched a raven get himself hopelessly tangled up in decorative fishing nets while going for discarded food at a Juneau fish & chips café. This wild creature stayed perfectly still & calm in the hands of a young boy while the kid's father snipped the net away from the bird. As soon as he was free, he flew to the nearest post, where he was immediately joined by his mate, who plucked the remaining strands of net out of his feathers - chattering at him all the while. I can only imagine what she was saying!!
Ravens are such a treat to watch throughout my day. They arrive in town at sunrise and head home at dusk. They are Family oriented, playful and extremely smart. I have heard some of their many different "voices" and am still hearing new ones. Ravens do not fly south, they live year round in their chosen area, even in the high artic. I love to see positive articles about them because so many people are not fond of them and wish them harm. So if you like Ravens, share with your friends the power of positive input is catching! :)
Nice Documentation about Ravens....
Yep... :/
I've always thought that crows and ravens were the comedians of the animal world!
Oh, to be a bright-sky Raven,
Darker than the night can be,
Oh, to speak to snowy landscapes
In tones supervisory.
Grawk-guk-garruluc, grak-guk-garruluc,
goak, goak, go-ak, growk goak gogee,
Gaaaaruk, guk, graaaruk, guk gaaaaruk, guk garruluk,
Gluck, gluck, garruck, gluuk gluk, goeeee.
My wife was very sick at one point and ravens were attracted to her. I came home one day and she was surrounded by ravens on our porch. While she was in the hospital a raven stayed in the window of her room. She almost died, and in a coma ravens came to her to take her back into her body, then when a well known Ojibwa elder adopted her during a healing ceremony, he gave her the name Raven without knowing of her experiences with ravens over the months before. They talk to her now. Just a couple of weeks ago she kept hearing, "Do you hear me now?" as she was walking along a path in town. She looked for the source and found it was a raven talking to her--obviously had learned the phrase because it was spot where people would sit and talk on cell phones. Ravens are our brothers and sisters.
I have a Raven On my shoulder, and it was my first tatoo, I seen it in a dream. My great great grandfather is a great chief and a medicine man his name was circling raven, he was a prophet. They also come to me in times of need. Do not be scared of sacred power. I'm Native American and much power coemes with knowing what the future holds.
I have a pair living on the property..they make a huge deal about the nesting sticks..carrying them careful to balance it just so..fun to watch
Me too. I tell my birds we all have a light inside and inside im a big black bird.
Love crows and ravens. Enjoy watching crows flying from all directions at dusk,coming together for the night and chattering (I like to think) about their day-thousands of them !
Just because they live longer in captivity doesn't mean they should. Quality of life. Only if they're birds are injured, sick, etc. And cant be rehabbed and released. Ive helped and released birds that I know would've lived longer with me but most were juveniles that needed help and belonged in the wild. The ones ive kept are handicapped or undersized etc. And given lots of attn. Otherwise, they belong with their friends and family wild and free.
I was sure this would include that they mate for life- I guess I was wrong.
it's true, the raven is the most inteligent animal that exists, he has been wrongly expelled because its black color was a sign of malediction and: this is wrong, black is the color of interiority and research itself.
I like the raven.
"10. Ravens roam around in teenage gangs. Ravens mate for life and live in pairs in a fixed territory."
The article did mention that fact.
i want one
@Art Girl
It actually does say that they mate for life -- first line of the 10th fact.
Intelligent creatures ... sentient beings <3
http://transcendinlove.blogspot.ca/
Whereas we depict crows and ravens as saying "Caw," the ancient Romans had them saying "Cras" (Latin for "tomorrow").
That is why the narrator in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is so frustrated with the raven's replies to his questions. He keeps expecting the raven to say "tomorrow," but the raven keeps saying "nevermore."
I have had the same group of six ravens whom I feed on the table on my deck. They are a delight to watch. So human-like. An example of this: I watched the patient mom teaching her halfgrown baby to eat from the feeder. Over and over again, he perched half a yard away and waited for HER to bring the food to HIM! (I'm sure he's a male!) Now he is full grown and he STILL bugs her to do this. Clever! Lazy! just like a human teenager! Makes me laugh every time, and sympathize with the mom. I LOVE my ravens!
Awesome list :)
Interestingly the Raven from Poe's poem was inspired by a particularly large pet Raven that belong to his friend. This Raven could talk although I don't know if he said never more. When this Raven died, he was taxidermied and his body still resides in the rare books section of the free library of Philadelphia
That is 23 years a zombie
Thanks for that tidbit!
Get OUT of here! How d you EVER figure THAT out?!
Along the Rio Grand river in New Mexico thousands upon thousands of Ravens and Crows gather in the winter. It the early morning before dawn the birds would fly east to the mountains, and in late afternoon they would return and nest in the cottonwood trees. It was a beautiful experience.
pretty ugly bird ,make a sort of grovelling noise,shouldnt be kept in cativity and caged to be made money out of
I have cared for a few ravens for about a year now. They had been kicked out of there nest early or hurt young. I love ravens and the crow family..... Ever Raven is a crow not every crow is a Raven❗they talked about gestures ravens really do draw lines in the dirt (sand) lol when u or other animals do something they don't like.
R not ugly but everyone has their thoughts each noise is a felling it just tring to say hi...... Whowalks 😉
So here comes my story.I enjoyed this excellent article.
When I was teenage going home one evening around midnight in the dark, just infront my building on the street I stumbled in something.when I looked this was a raven dizzy and probably hit by car, since there was alittle wound on the head. So I decided to pick it up and brought it home to the great disgust of my grandmother. I left it on the balcony. It lived there few days and it disappeared one day. I feel blessed by this raven and wanted to talk with him but he disappeared.
Sadly true :(
In Iceland a flock of Ravens getting together is called 'Hrafnaþing', translated as 'Congress of Ravens'. This meeting is seen as an omen of things to come, be it good or bad I am not sure.
My boyfriend saw a big flock of ravens cawing at each other near the capitol a few weeks ago and we've had very bad weather here for these past weeks, that might have been what the meeting was about.
I do not know if there are any in South Africa as all that I have seen are Crows. I know that in Durban, South Africa one gets the "Indian Miners". They are not large like Crows but they are just as smart and learn to mimic people and animals too. I have heard one make a Ringing tone of a mobile phone. They are remarkable.
a day of freedom is worth more than a lifetime of captivity
While living in Clearlake, California, I discovered two dead ravens in my backyard, and one that was having in obvious distress...for no apparent reason I could figure out. The third one also later died.
This was most unusual. I called the local Dept. of Agriculture, but they chose to ignore it. Later, I heard a chorus of loud noises from the nearby trees and discovered many branches filled full of ravens which seemed to be mourning the loss of their friends! They actually remained there for several days and their cries seemed almost human....they were aware of what happened and they displayed deep sorrow...it was almost like a religious gathering. So yes, I know they are very intelligent and care for their own. The birds who died were young...reminded me of teenagers...
Eat like a king and no worries about predators, no lice and someone scratching my chin and croup,
Fresh fruit, lots of stimulus and kicking it by the wide screen.
I'll take captivity for $500 Alex.
Why not another human, first?
A crows' wing is attached to its' body by 6 pinions. The ravens' wing is attached with 7 pinions. They simply have a difference of a pinion.
Teenage crows have been known to kick their parents out of the family home and crows will often kill other crows that are seen accepting kindly act from humans. Crows can actually learn to speak human languages not just imitate them.
a mate once owned a raven charming thing very strange ,she would leave it of the wing but obsessed and came back ,for years this carried on ,one day it snapped ,ruffled its feathers ,and went missing
In the countryside of Ireland there are millions of them, they grow huge and are known to work together to pluck the eyes of baby lambs if they create the opportunity - I was always fascinated with them.
<3
Brad, Monty Reitz here. I had a crow as an early teenager. Great pet. Tried to tell me things and stole incessantly shiny things, clothes pins, etc. Neighbor poisoned it as its stomach was full of hamburger and ground glass.
I have been sending that war criminal, Netanyahu, e mails with not so nice statements. What the hell has happened to our Congress? Monty
This was excellent!
Like!
the old Norse had symbols of ravens in flags sails jewelry, etc. Thought to be wise like the modern owl.
Seen a video of Ravens or Crows showing their intelligence. They would pick up a clam on a beach too hard to open and sit and wait by a crosswalk. When the light turned red, they would fly down and place the clam on the crosswalk, fly up and wait for the next red light to go pick up the opened clam. They knew when the "don't walk" light started blinking it was time to get off the road.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/eliane-haykal-photography/the-raven/784235828263788?comment_id=910140635673306
Celtic culture actually respected raven and believed that where is raven there is magic. It was only later when Church wanted to destroy this old european religion, that they started spreading negative nonsense about ravens. Ravens were oftenly seen as shamans and shapeshifters.
Beautiful :)
You'll Never convince a typical urban democrat voter of that...
Must be a big plant.
...That's so raven.
This is awesome. I sit and try to discern crows from ravens constantly. They have a lower "Caw" than crows and their feathers and head are different. I will watch and see who is playful, and watch for gangs of teenagers!
Keep it in your pants you desperate loser.
they can also remember faces, and like to torment those that are mean to them.
Fascinating - truly wonderful info. I learned of the intelligence of crows and ravens from Jean Craighead George's autobiography decades ago.
I watched a crow teach another how to upend a McDonald's bag so the fries would fall out. The poor young crow was pecking at the bag on the ground for minutes. The other crow fell in, talked a bit and then grabbed the bag by the bottom and flew straight up - then the other crow tried it on other bags and they both ate fries until there were no more...
Ravens can't land on water, early Norsemen kept Ravens on board their ships, and would release them periodically, if they flew off in a certain direction and didn't return, then they knew land was in that direction.......either that or a drowned Raven.
My kind of bird, Love it
I've been an admirer of crows all my life. There were no ravens where I lived. As an adult I learned of ravens and fell in love with that species. Aside from great admiration of ravens, whom I feel are the smartest of all birds, the more I observe them, the more I find admirable about them. Raven is my totem, though I am not a native American.
If anyone wishes to know a lot more about ravens, I suggest reading the books written by Berndt Heinrich.I hope that is the correct spelling. Berg
The Raven is my Totem. When I walked my small dog early in the morning sunrise, the Raven would be just ahead of me along the hydro wires and finally wait where I would end my walk by my apartment's parking garage. There, I would dump seeds and old kitchen bones of meat, etc. If the crows happened by at that time, they would chase the Raven in the skies for quite a while !! It was something I enjoyed for 9 years in Brockville Ontario,...right on Central Avenue, downtown !! :)
Love ravens. We had a pair on the mountain where we lived. We slowly made friends with them over a few years by leaving food out for them. They would call us when they were waiting. Sometimes I think they trained us. :)
When a bird is "Anting" this most likely has everything to do with getting rid of itchy bird mites, ants will eat most insects.
OMG i knew ravens were smart but i am blown away by just how smart they are. My maiden name Corbett means raven haired and i most certainly fit that description. :)
When I was in Thule Greenland, there were giant Ravens, but now i cant find any evidence of them.
Has anyone else heard of this?
My best friend, working as a Noon Duty at a school here in Anchorage AK, saw a raven fly by with a WHOLE tiny donette covered in powdered sugar in it's beak. Says she busted out laughing wondering where it got that from! I took that incident and put it in a short story I wrote about ravens. Was too good to pass up!
They are so amusing. I love watching them play. I once photographed them playing in flight. There were three of them. They were doing the tumble that mating eagles do. It was fascinating to watch. They did it without the dangerous consequences that occasionally befall the eagles. It was all play.
http://getusanews.com/
Wow, did not know Ravens can speak and then so well sounding ( the voice of the one in the Video sounds realy human) so, one point more why Crows and Ravens are my favoritebirds ;-)
Here in Iceland it was an tradition in the old days for the Housemother of a farm to feed a pair of Ravens during the winter. While that would be nice also to try one winter on our farm, it is of course not possible as the Ravens would spoil the hey by clawing holes in the wrapping of the hayrolls (as they like to sit on them) and they could also be dangerous to the lambs in Spring if they decides to stay on the farm (I wonder how they prevented this in the old days?)
@ Ignacio Arbaiza: thanks for posting this info :-)
@ Chris: Reading your post I got curious as, big Ravens, now that sounds interessing. Googled "Greenland big ravens" and realy some info came up about big ravens there as also that the birds in Greenland seem to be in generaly bigger. Here is one side: http://greenlandtravelguide.com/big-bird-watching-in-greenland/
We had ravens visit our porch when we were kids. We would put out food for them, and the ravens would tell us stories. Like, "Iceland is overrated..." or "the squirrels are all gossiping about...". They never asked for a 'donette', but they did ask for donuts. They would put on little skits to make us laugh.
Loved those ravens!
When I was stationed in Adak, Alaska many years ago, I used to watch the younger ravens purposely torment bald eagles. A bald eagle would be sitting on top of an antenna pole (there were thousands of them around) and generally a pair (sometimes three) of them would team up to annoy the bald eagle until it decided to chase one of them. The other raven would then land on top of the eagles pole and make noises until the eagle noticed and came after it. Whereupon it would fly away from the eagle and let it's team mate take it's place atop the pole. Sometimes this would go on for over half an hour before the eagle got frustrated and flew off--generally with the pair of victorious ravens chasing after it.
Ravens…. the most awesome birds! Thank you, Ellen.
waka waka waka waka loool
Ravens seem to be opportunists, like dogs.
They're intelligent enough to know how they can benefit from humans.
Of course, they should be free, but it seems a captive Sparrow might not be as content at a captive Raven.
I had a crow that my cousin stole from a nest. Kept it in a shed in the back yard. I'd take it out to feed it milk, bread and raw hamburg. One day, while doing this, I heard a crow in a tree. I looked around and realized there were maybe twenty crows watching me. I picked up my crow and tossed him up in the air. He flew into the trees and I never saw him again.
I actually found an wounded Raven many years ago while on a hike with my dog. He'd been shot through the wing. I wrapped him in my coat and took him home. He healed up alright, and adapted instantly to being around humans and spent his time squawking and hopping around the back yard. His favorite treat was cold hot dogs. I called him, "Rantin"... as in Rantin Raven.
My father brought a Raven home from the mill lest he get caught in the saws like his mate. He had a large cage and we spent a lot time talking to him .I shared my
"science lab
in the garage with him. He actually learned to say "hi!) when we came in the door. I have been in love with ravens ever since. (and I still talk to them)
Ravens were the true beginning of my spiritual journey. They are wonderful.
We've had two Ravens living in our canopies of three big oak trees for about six weeks. They have been very bold and interactive, often perching on my car door when I get in or on sun umbrella when I'm sitting right under it- 2-3 close instances like this a week. They talk to our Labrador and he barks back. It's been this notable new thing to "have Ravens". Two days ago we heard this enormous bird ruckus- maybe like 15-20 Ravens and also smaller different looking birds all cawing and circling and landing in one of the trees, we thought maybe a nest or something. Then this morning a dead raven was found right outside our front porch, it looked like it had been attacked. I was wondering if there may have been some form of a funeral that day before? Or a fight for position or something as a big brown owl used to live in those trees. It's a bit sad as I had made friends w my new curious buddies. Quite notable and it's been interesting to look up Native American Raven stories and animal behavior features like this.
Lovely birds..
Really liked these interesting facts. :)
Pretty birds
I only discovered your site this year! It is just stunning! I love finding your posts in my feed! The Raven has been my totem, muse and guide for many years now. Thank you for your work!
My watcher
These are really interesting facts and helpful too as they helped my daughter in her studies..!!
I never gave Ravens any thought until one began to visit me in dreams as I slept. He claimed to be sent from God to quench my spiritual thirst. He told me incredible things such as the meaning of life, etc. Upon waking up from my 1st visit ( dream ) from the Raven, I wept as I was so overwhelmed with love for humanity. He has not visited me in over twenty years but still now when ever I see a Raven, I smile because I think it is God smiling at me. I want to add that I am not Native American or of any culture where one might expect to have dreams from a Raven. I am just a Christian, American senior citizen lady.
I never knew Ravens could talk, that's amazing!
We have a raven near us who imitates the seagulls and yells down my neighbour's chimney...
our nurse coworker passed away. we went to the memorial and scattering of ashes in the Pecos , NM area. As I drove into my drive after the memorial, there was a rainbow over the Sangre Mtns. behind my home. Three days later, a flock of ravens landed in the trees in our patio (this hadn't happened before)and started cawing. I went out and said what's going on? All the ravens but one flew off. The one that stayed and I had a conversation. I'd ask a question and the bird would reply. This happened several times over 10 years. The last time was the morning of our 30th anniversary. Now, 11 years later, ravens are in our yard at the feeders and water. My friend must be close by again. The Native Americans here in the southwest belief the raven is a messenger. Raven Woman is the one who calls the dancers from the Kiva for the ceremonies.
I wonder what the relation is between the Raven and the Eagle Clans in Tlingit culture...
Corvids are so smart! The only time i have been around ravens though was when i took a predator ecology course in northern MN during January. We spent many days out in the woods looking for animal sign, doing browse surveys, etc. We were always on the lookout for wolf tracks and kill sites. We were told (I forgot by who, and if it is true) that if ravens found a dead animal that had not been found by other animals yet they likely would not be able to get through the hide without help and that wolves learned to follow ravens to carcasses and vice versa. Every time we heard ravens or saw them while out we would follow for the same reasons. Where I live we have only crows, and have had plenty of tv worthy drama/entertainment watching them from my treestand for several days go to war with the resident barred owls. I have watched mobbing of birds of prey before by crows but wow this was so calculated and coordinated .. perhaps because there werent many crows and in the times I have watched hawk/owl harrassment they were able to call in more crows.. idk. But after watching that good luck arguing they only can react to their environment and are not capable of thought lol
Ravens are mysterious, and sometimes in the movie they refers to the danger and dead.
Thanks for sharing us these interesting facts, I never know that ravens can talk!
I knew that ravens have been featured in many myths, thanks for your nice post!
I feed both a Raven and Crows in my back yard for the last number of years. I love to watch the Raven fly low from a well hidden spot in a pine tree. He always seems to know where the crows are, beating them to the meat. It's hiliarous, even more so when he's caught and the air to air battle ensues.. Enjoyed this article. Thank you
It looks very mighty and mighty
BOOBZ
Raven and Wolf have been my totems since I was 6.. One learns how to read their messages..
"Europeans often saw ravens as evil in disguise " .. not before being submitted to monotheism. In the Ancient pagan times, ravens were much revered, as wolves, snakes, cats and others .. christian priests demonized them hoping to impone their totalitarian belief instead.
"these birds rate up there with chimpanzees and dolphins." These rating systems always put people at the top, but imagine a people surviving in any of these animals' environments without all their cultural peripheral. Also they do so without destroying the ecosphere.