Northern Raven

Also known as raven, Corvus corax, western raven, common Raven, corax raven

species of bird

OverviewAI-generated

The Northern Raven, scientifically known as Corvus corax, is a species within the genus Corvus. It belongs to the family Corvidae, order Passeriformes, class Aves, and phylum Chordata. The taxon is recognized as an accepted species by the World Register of Marine Species and is distinct from the raven. It is part of the broader raven group and is also referred to by common names including Cuervo grande, Kolkrabe, and Grand Corbeau.

This organism is diurnal and has a recorded wingspan of 150, a length of 69, and a mass of 1625. Its life expectancy is 17.1667 years, with the longest observed lifespan reaching 21.9 years. The Northern Raven is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, a status confirmed in 2025. Its range includes Brazil and Africa, and it is endemic to locations such as the Desert National Park, Neora Valley National Park, Lachen, and the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary.

Synthesized by Vinony from 31 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, IUCN Red List, WoRMS, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

common raven

Species

PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyCorvidae

Maximum longevity: 69 years (captivity) Observations: One captive specimen reportedly survived to 69 years of age (Holmes and Ottinger 2003). The lifespan of ravens in captivity, however, could be above 70 years with one anecdotal report of one raven living up to 80 years of age in captivity. In the wild, most ravens are short-lived with the record being held by a 21.9 year-old individual (http://www.euring.org/data_and_codes/longevity.htm).

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Instance of: taxon
Part of: raven
Parent taxon: Corvus
Mass: 25
Image: Corvus corax tingitanus MHNT 232 HdB Djebel Messaad Algerie.jpg
Length: 69
Life expectancy: 17.1667

Show 12 more facts

taxon rank: species
IUCN conservation status: Least Concern
taxon name: Corvus corax
Commons category: Corvus corax
Commons gallery: Corvus corax
different from: raven
wingspan: 150
taxon common name: corvo-comum
taxon range: Africa
longest observed lifespan: 21.9
diel cycle: diurnality
short name: C. corax

Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

~33 min read

Encyclopedic overview

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.

Common ravens have coexisted with humans for thousands of years and in some areas have been so numerous that people have regarded them as pests. Part of their success as a species is due to their omnivorous diet; they are extremely versatile and opportunistic in finding sources of nutrition, feeding on carrion, insects, cereal grains, berries, fruit, small animals, nesting birds, and food waste. Some notable feats of problem-solving provide evidence that the common raven is unusually intelligent.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Northern Raven” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.