The Australian raven is a member of the corvidae family as are crows, although the term 'crow' is in general use for all the corvidae family.
Raven on fence.
They are common birds. Found throughout Australia, crows are not usually seen in the extreme south of the continent.
Two ravens on fence.
The difference between a raven and a crow can only be determined by a close examination. In crows, the base of the feathers is pure white, with a line of marked division. With ravens, there is a gradual change from black to smokey grey. They are often mistaken for currawongs. Ravens have blue eyes, whereas the currawongs are yellow.
Just watching.
On my street walks I come across many ravens, often hearing them before sighting them.
Ravens making crow calls.
They are usually alone or in groups. The collective noun for ravens is 'unkindness'. My observations of ravens, are that when in a flock, they land in trees, fly off and around and return to the tree. Fascinating to watch.
Ravens in the air around trees.
An interesting scenario was watching a single raven flying around and landing in a dead tree. Even more interesting was two ravens doing the same.
Raven in silhouette.
Two ravens in silhouette.
They do look magnificent in flight with their wings fully extended.
Magnificent when captured in flight.
Their feeding habits almost rival seagulls – eat anything. They are often sighted rummaging through rubbish bins looking for food. One photo I like is of a raven that looks like it had scored a chicken nugget.
Raven with nugget.
Raven with nesting material.
Another favourite photo was a raven and a noisy miner, both perched on overhead wires with the miner giving its evil stare at the raven. Those noisy miners have no fear.
Raven and noisy miner.
Speaking of evil stares, I have been subjected to several from ravens staring at me from their perch in trees. They are very evil stares.
Their evil stare.
I came across another raven having an egg for breakfast.
Breakfast time.
When disturbed, they often head for the nearest fence where they perch and offer some nice photographic opportunities.
When approached they never fly far away.
Historically, the ravens of the Tower of London are a group of nine captive ravens resident at the Tower of London. Their presence is traditionally believed to protect the Crown and the Tower; a superstition holds that "if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it." Totally untrue of course, but a quaint tradition.
Two of the Tower of London ravens.
The Tower of London's ravens cannot fly away, one wing is clipped enabling them to only fly for short distances.
The next time you encounter a raven, enjoy watching them and stare back at them if they stare at you.
