A couple days ago I was standing around admiring the foliage, the smells and the mountain breezes on our property. I heard a leathery “swish swish” above my head and looked up in time to see two enormous ravens lazily beating wings as they passed overhead.
I hear their laid-back caws from time to time and always stop to see where they are and where they’re heading. Mostly they float around with a friend or two and seem in no great hurry.
A local ranger with way too many chicken eggs saves some of them for the ravens, and a nearby neighbor leaves his deceased mice (from traps) on a tall pole so the ravens can take them away.
People around here seem to appreciate ravens.
I did a little of my own research on these beautiful and brilliant birds.
Here are some interesting raven facts:
- A group of ravens is known as a “murder”
- Ravens are playful! They surf on updrafts, sometimes fly upside down and even turn midair somersaults
- Young ones sometimes play a game of dropping a stick in flight, then swooping down to catch it before it hits the ground
- Ravens can make over a hundred different vocalizations. Their voices are deep, and they can imitated human speech and singing
- They sometimes work together as a pair to acquire food, even luring a parent bird from its nest so the other raven can swoop in and eat the eggs or nestlings
- They’ve been known to call and lead wolves to a carcass so the tough hide can be torn, allowing the ravens to dine on the soft insides of the carcass
- Ravens are omnivores, dining on eggs, seeds and berries. They sometimes store extra food in secret hiding places. BUT if another raven is watching, it will pretend to hide it in one place then actually put it somewhere else!
Did you know I recently added to my line of raven jewelry? Yes, The Magic Zoo now has its own “murder!” I have a large raven pendant I created years ago on my website, but last summer I designed and added a smaller raven pendant, a charm and a pair of earrings in sterling silver and gold. And these new ones are in flight, which reminds me of the ravens that soar overhead on our New Mexico property.
Do you see ravens where you live? Tell me about your raven experiences!
Jimi Hummel says
Thanks for the informative information about Ravens. I have always enjoyed watching them. Now can you tell me how to tell a Raven from a Crow?
Merry says
Well, ravens are quite a bit larger than crows. But here is a great link that goes over the major differences between the two birds. https://www.audubon.org/news/how-tell-raven-crow