Common Raven - an amazing bird, shrouded in many superstitions. Possessing an incredible mind and a gothic appearance, this feathered one does not stop attracting the attention of ornithological scientists and all kinds of lovers of mysticism, and some even take the liberty of keeping him as a pet. About the features of the life and character of the raven, as well as the possibility of keeping this interesting bird in the apartment, read our article.
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Description and characteristics of birds
Common Raven - the largest representative of the order of Passeriformes. Do not confuse it with another bird of the corvidae family - black crow. Raven and crow belong to the same family, but still they are different species.
The color of the crow is uniform black. The plumage has a metallic luster, in bright light casts blue, purple and green. In young individuals, the shade is matte. The bird has a large sharp beak, under which there is a characteristic "beard" of feathers, most noticeable during croaking. Feathered feet also have a black color, and the iris is dark brown.
The size of the common raven bird varies depending on gender: females are slightly smaller than males.
The parameters of individuals of this species range in the following ranges:
- body length: 60–70 cm;
- wingspan: 100–150 cm;
- weight: 0.7–1.5 kg.
Raven is one of the few birds with mental abilities, which was confirmed in the course of numerous experiments. Speaking of his behavior, ornithologists often compare this feathered intellectual with primates.Due to its natural mind, the raven easily adapts to changing environmental conditions and finds a way out of some difficult situations.
Once, an interesting experiment was set by scientists when an elongated vessel with water and several objects from various materials were placed in a raven’s cage. The bird could not reach for drinking and, without thinking twice, began to throw the offered things at it so that the liquid level rose. Noticing that too light objects stay on the surface and do not displace water, the raven threw them away.
Common Raven Habitat
Due to its color, the feathered bird feels comfortable both in hot and in cool climates. These birds are found in Eurasia, North America, in northern Africa. In Russia, the raven settles everywhere, with the exception of areas of the far north.
The habitat of the individual is diverse. Found on the Arctic coast, and in the mountains of the tundra, and in the desert. They feel great in valleys with shrubs, forests, and marshy areas. But the raven avoids the thick coniferous taiga.
Getting their livelihood, they appear in various settlements and in city dumps, where they find food in abundance. Despite the fact that it is not common for a raven to breed offspring next to a person, recently there have been frequent cases of nesting of this bird on the outskirts of cities and villages, in abandoned buildings.
Lifestyle & Nutrition
Adult common birds live in pairs and usually lead a sedentary lifestyle, but sometimes the scarcity of food supply forces them to change their habitat. A pair of birds occupies a fairly large territory and jealously guards it from strangers. As a rule, young lonely birds migrate, gathering in flocks of up to 7-10 individuals. In winter, adult crows can also be organized in groups of 10-12, and in rare cases, up to 40-70 birds.
Raven moves well on the ground, and its flight is distinguished by a certain imposingness in comparison with other representatives of the corvids. Wings of his wings are relatively rare. The bird is able to soar in the air for a long time, performing complex shapes.
Common raven is an omnivore, but carrion is a major part of its diet. It is noteworthy that the beak does not have such a pronounced bend as the beak of "professional" scavengers, such as vultures, so it is rather difficult for a raven to tear the skin of dead cattle or other large animals. In this case, the feathered bird waits when another predator who is interested in someone else's find does it for him.
Due to natural patience and quick wits, the raven successfully hunts small rodents, lizards and other small animals. He soars for a long time in search of food, patiently examines mouse holes and piles of garbage, makes holes in soft soil, trying to catch potential prey.
These predators are able to destroy other people's nests by eating eggs and chicks, eat shellfish, scorpions, worms, various berries, cereals, food waste. In a word, they feed on everything that they find or catch. Often they accompany deer herds, gather near slaughterhouses, picnic places, garbage dumps.
Ravens quite often are close to predators and enjoy eating part of their prey. Showing resourcefulness unusual for other birds, these birds can sometimes steal other people's stocks. For example, after seeing how a polar fox, after ruining someone’s nest, hides surplus food in a secluded place, the raven, waiting for the predator to leave, easily finds edible food. The bird itself can also store food, hiding it several times.
Population and breeding
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in European countries, the common raven was destroyed for a long time, since it was considered a messenger of death and misfortune, and also caused significant damage to farmland.As a result, in some European countries, such as Great Britain, this bird is extremely rare in the wild.
In North America, things are different. Since the Indians revered the raven, considering it the Creator, this species is found everywhere on the territory of this continent.
Currently, the bird is protected by many countries, which allowed to increase the population. A positive effect on the spread of this feathered tourism development. The main negative factor that reduces the number of individuals of this species is the shortage of feed in the winter.
The common raven reaches puberty at the age of 2 years. These birds are monogamous. They nest in constant pairs, which persist throughout life. The habitat, as a rule, remains the same even in cases when the nest was destroyed.
Neighboring pairs of ravens settle at least 1 km apart. For nesting birds choose tall trees or rocks, both male and female participate in the construction. Quite often, a couple has 2 nests at once, in which a female lays eggs alternately in different years.
Masonry occurs quite early - from February to March, which depends on the habitat. The female lays from 4 to 6 bluish-green eggs with dark spots and hatch them for about 3 weeks. There is evidence that the male also takes part in incubation. Typically, crows replenish the family once a year, but if the clutch was destroyed, the female will lay eggs again.
The nesting period for chicks lasts about 1.5 months. Having learned to fly, they stay close to their parents until the next mating season.
Life span
In folklore, the raven is often a symbol of longevity. He is credited with an incredible life expectancy of 300 years. This is actually a myth. In the wild, crows can live up to 30-40 years, but due to various factors, a significant portion of individuals die at the age of 10-15 years. According to some sources, there were cases when in captivity this bird lived to be 75 years old.
Is it possible to keep at home
Keeping ravens at home is a rather difficult task, so the decision to purchase such an unusual pet should be well thought out. First of all, the bird needs a spacious enclosure, so you should not start it in a small apartment.
A feathered pretty tame pretty easily. As an adult, he can become very attached to the owner and out of jealousy show aggression to other family members. This behavior is especially dangerous for young children and pets. The raven is an intelligent and capricious individual, therefore, the nestling needs appropriate education, which has many subtleties.
A common problem faced by raven owners is the bird’s desire for destruction. Torn wallpaper and spoiled furniture - this is perhaps the minimum damage that a feathered bird can inflict while freely walking around the apartment. In addition, the uncontrolled movement of the owner’s home is dangerous for the pet itself.
Despite the fact that the bird is omnivorous, it must be properly fed in captivity. Most of the diet should be fresh raw meat (rats, chickens and other small animals). And also in certain quantities in the diet should be present vegetables and cereals.
These are far from all the difficulties of keeping a bird. A crow can be kept in the apartment as a pet, but this should be approached very seriously.
Interesting facts about the common raven
About such an unusual individual as a raven, there are currently many interesting facts.
Here are a few of them:
- A description of the species of birds was first given back in the eighteenth century by the famous Swedish naturalist Karl Linnaeus.
- Living with a person, a raven can begin to pronounce words and simple phrases. He is able to copy the intonation and voice of the owner.
- Birds love enting or "swimming in the anthill." They rub their body with certain types of ants and allow insects to crawl over it. It is believed that formic acid is able to deter some parasites, and also complements the action of substances secreted by feathered glands. It is not known whether the crows themselves know about it, but in the process of such a procedure they receive unspeakable pleasure.
- Feathered people remember faces. This conclusion was made by a group of scientists who conducted an experiment with masks.
- American biologists have found that different individuals of this species living in the same locality have different taste preferences. Some specialize in searching for carrion, others try to catch small rodents more often, and still others prefer plant foods.
- Residents of Britain are confident that the crows, once settled in the Tower of London, protect the fortress. It is not known for certain where this superstition originated, but the British are sure that not only the Tower, but also the monarchy would fall without such defenders.
The common raven is a mysterious bird whose behavior has not been fully studied to this day. Therefore, it is not at all surprising why he became the hero of many myths and legends of different nations.
