Crow on the left, raven on the right
One of the questions people invariably ask me is to explain what the differences are (if any) between a crow and a raven. It’s a legitimate question- most people use crow and raven interchangeably when describing a big black bird, similar to how puma, mountain lion, and cougar are all different names for the same large American cat.
This can be a tricky question since there are multiple species of both crow and raven across the globe, and one region’s crows might be more alike to the local ravens than the crows located elsewhere. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll talk about the two species you are most likely to encounter in the US: American crows and Common ravens.
To begin with, ravens are bigger than crows. A lot bigger. Most people are shocked at how big ravens are up close- they are the largest songbirds in the world!
Crow on the left, raven on the right
Around their face, a raven has a bigger bill and a shaggier throat than a crow.
When flying long distances, a crow usually flaps its wings at a constant, steady pace, while a raven alternates flapping and soaring. In flight, crow’s tail forms a fan while raven’s tail forms a wedge. This difference becomes less noticeable during the late summer months, when the birds are growing new feathers.
The two birds sound different when calling: crows caw while ravens croak. Crows are found everywhere in the United States, but they thrive especially well in human dominated landscapes. Ravens, on the other hand, are shyer than crows and usually stick to rural areas, although there are plenty of exceptions to this rule. For example, ravens are only found well outside the city limits of Seattle, but can be found mingling with crows in the center of Santa Fe.
There are a few other differences, such as flight patterns, but I’ve given you enough information to make a quick identification whenever you see a large black bird cross your path. Again, these identifications are for American crows and Common ravens; if you live outside the US, you are likely seeing different species of corvids.
Image credits: the crow/raven comparison was photographed by Tom Grey; the photos of the held crow/raven are mine; the tail graphic was drawn by Jenifer Rees.