Common Raven

Taxonomic information

Common Name: Common Raven

Latin Name: Corvus corax

Family: Corvidae

Description

Common raven

The raven is the largest member of the crow family found in Britain. Identification of this buzzard-sized corvid is straightforward if good views are obtained as the large size, long wedged-shaped tail and large head are all diagnostic features. Identification of distant, lone birds can be problematical especially when it is difficult to determine just how big, or how far away the bird is. When walking across suitable upland areas, it is often the far carrying “kronk, kronk” call of the raven that first draws the attention to the bird flying over.

Ravens are relatively long lived birds that may not begin to breed until they are at least three or four years old. Pair bonding between birds will often involve a spectacular aerial display as birds ‘tumble’, ‘roll’ and dive over potential nest sites. Ravens will pair for life and if left undisturbed, will use the same nest site year after year, occasionally resulting in the gradual construction of huge nests.

A number of local place names such as Raven Scar and Raven Crag give an indication of the sites where ravens historically bred in the Dales. This species has in the past suffered from heavy persecution but in recent years, numbers have increased with nesting attempted at 16 different nesting sites in the Dales in recent years. The raven population does seem to have stabilised in the last few years and it is not clear why they no longer nest at a number of formerly occupied sites or have not occupied other potentially suitable nesting sites. The majority of known nesting sites are all in the south of the National Park but there are an increasing number of records from northern areas. It is not clear whether these relate to non-breeding birds, possible from Cumbria, or whether there are a number of yet undiscovered breeding pairs.