Recently it was asked in the comments interesting question: What is the difference between a raven and a crow? Perhaps it's just a male and a female? Of course not. These are two completely different species of the Corvidae family from the order Passeriformes. As a matter of fact, such confusion occurs, fortunately, only in the Russian language. For example, in my native Ukrainian, raven is “kruk”, and crow is “crow”. In English the word for raven is "raven", and a crow is called "crow".

Even more confusion occurs when trying to distinguish a raven from a crow by appearance, but knowing some characteristic features, everything is quite simple. It’s worth clarifying right away that there are several types of crows. The most common of them are the gray crow (Corvus cornix) and the black crow (Corvus corone). And here the most interesting thing is that the black crow lives mainly in Western Europe and in the eastern part of Eurasia, but we do not have it in the CIS (except for the eastern part of the Russian Federation). Here you can only find the gray crow, which has gray color body and black wings, head and tail. Thus, it is not difficult to distinguish it from a completely black crow. We are interested in the differences between the black crow (Corvus corone) and the common crow (Corvus corax).

What is the difference between a raven and a crow?

Dimensions. The body length of a common raven can reach 60 cm, while the black crow is smaller in size - the body length of an adult is up to 50 cm. A raven is noticeably larger than a crow.

Body weight. Adult males of the common crow can weigh 1-1.5 kg, while the black crow can only weigh up to 700 g.

Beak size. The common raven has a much thicker beak than the black crow. Although from afar it is not always noticeable.

Plumage of the crop. Distinctive feature Older individuals of the common raven have elongated craw feathers. They characteristically puff up, resembling a “beard”.

Tail shape. This difference can only be noticed when the bird is flying. The crow's tail is rounded, while the common raven's tail has a wedge-shaped end.

Lifestyle. Black crows often gather in groups, while crows stay alone or in pairs.

Habitat. Ravens can often be found in the city, while the common raven avoids large populated areas and prefers to live in forests.

The crow has a nasal sound similar to the sound "ka!" (you can listen to her voice below).

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In addition, it is worth noting that ravens and crows do not get along with each other and a flock of crows often attacks a lone raven. So, this is in no way a male and a female of the same species, and certainly not a husband and wife.

The difference between a crow and a rook

Some readers may experience next question. “How come we don’t have black crows? After all, they are found everywhere in populated areas, stay in groups, sit on wires, pick up nuts and croak at passers-by." The fact is that these are not black crows, but ordinary rooks. They are often confused with each other. But the difference between crows and rooks is very noticeable. The base of the rook's beak is there, where the nostrils are located, it is bare. Due to this, its beak appears lighter, while that of a crow is covered with black feathers.

And finally, watch a funny video about a domestic black crow, which takes care of four-legged pets and feeds them food.

More powerful than the carrion crow, big-headed, with a strong, wide beak, the raven is almost twice its size. The weight of an adult male reaches 1.5 kg, while the black crow rarely reaches 700 grams.

The raven's plumage is blue-black, bright and shiny; it is from this color that the color of the raven's wing appeared.

Different black color!

And the color of the crow, although black, is not so intense and bright.

Older crows develop long, bristling feathers on their throats that look like a so-called “beard.”

The tail of a black crow is rounded, while that of a raven is wedge-shaped; it is especially easy to see such a detail in a flying bird. By the way, the flight of these birds is also different. The raven can hover in the air for a long time, this feature helps it in finding food, and can perform aerobatics. And the black crow, when jumping from a place, mainly uses flapping flight.

It is very easy to distinguish these birds by their habits. Crows prefer solitude, but the black crow is a flocking bird and loves the company of its own kind.

Similarities between a raven and a black crow

Both birds are omnivores, their main food is, of course, carrion, but they do not disdain anything. Fish, worms, seeds, berries, bird eggs and small mammals. Both of them can hunt other birds and small animals, for example, hares, arctic foxes and foxes, only the raven hunts alone, and the black crows drive prey in a flock.

How long do crows and crows live?

In conditions wildlife The lifespan of both the raven and the crow is approximately the same.

The black crow lives no more than 10 years, and the black raven lives approximately 10-15. In captivity, the latter live much longer; there are cases when tamed birds lived for more than 70 years. Obviously, this is where the belief about the legendary long life of ravens came from.

Keeping at home

Raven is considered one of the most smart birds and, according to scientists, has intelligence at the level of an ape. It is easily tamed at a young age and, having chosen one owner, remains devoted to him for life. Thanks to the tendency to imitate, some owners managed to teach their pet to pronounce individual words. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for a raven to create suitable living conditions in home care Therefore, this bird is rarely seen as a pet.

You rarely see a crow in the house!

A crow is rarely brought into an apartment deliberately. This usually happens when a bird is injured and can no longer live without human help.

If the bird is mature and wild, then taming it takes a lot of work and patience. But if you succeed, you will get a cunning and resourceful, but very difficult pet. If you do not have the opportunity to keep a selected bird at home, try to give it into the hands of lovers, who can easily be found on forums and social networks; sometimes zoos and youth clubs take injured birds. As you understand, a raven and a crow are different birds, although very similar!

I heard the statement that a raven and a crow are different birds... (see) and not a male and a female of the same species. Is this true?

Raven is a sedentary bird. Lives almost everywhere, except North Africa And North America, but rare everywhere. Crows feed on mouse-like rodents, food waste, large insects, animal corpses, eggs and chicks of other species, and fish. They eat and plant foods- cereal grains, seeds and fruits of various plants. They live alone or in pairs; pairs often do not break up even in winter. At the end of January - beginning of February, mating games begin, at the end of February - beginning of March they begin to build a nest in the crowns of tall trees, in coastal cliffs, rock ledges, power line supports, telegraph poles, and towers. Both birds build a nest from thick branches mixed with lumps of earth, bark, and thin fresh twigs. Bedding made of dry stems, wool, felt, pieces of cloth and cotton wool. In March, the female lays 4 to 7 bluish eggs with brown spots. Incubation lasts three weeks. Only the female incubates, and the male feeds her. The chicks hatch in early April and fly out of the nest in May. They stay with their parents who feed them for quite a long time - until autumn or even winter.

Crow is a bird belonging to the passerine order, the corvid family, genus O rona (lat. Corvus).

Previously, in Rus' the crow was called “vrana”. According to linguists, the name of the bird is most likely consonant with the words “witch,” “enemy,” “enemy.”

Crow: description, characteristics and photos. What does the bird look like?

Crows are the largest representatives of the passerine order. The length of the bird varies between 48-56 cm. Male larger than the female, the male’s weight is 700-800 grams, females weigh from 460-550 grams. The length of the wing of a male crow reaches 27-30 cm; the wings of a female crow grow from 25 to 27 cm. The strong wings of most species have a pointed shape. The wingspan of a crow is about 1 m.

The appearance of the crow is similar to the rook, but differs in a denser physique.

The crow's tail is wedge-shaped, with long tail feathers. The bird's beak is powerful and sharp, conical in shape, and in some species has a characteristic high bend. The crow's legs are thin and long, with four toes: 1 facing back, 3 facing forward.

Most species of crows have gray or black plumage that glows metallic, purple, violet or violet in the sun. green. The base of the feather is usually gray, in rare cases white.

The crow's voice is high, hoarse, sometimes rough and guttural, reminiscent of laughter. The “crow language” is very developed, sounds of different tones are used during mating games, to notify general collection, swearing, threats, and alarms.

How many years do crows live?

The lifespan of a crow in nature is 15-20 years. In captivity, some crows live up to 35-40 years. The oldest crow's officially documented age was 59 years, which is rare.

Where do crows live?

The habitat is quite extensive: the crow bird is found in almost all countries of Europe and Asia, North America, North Africa and Australia.

Most crows lead sedentary image life in urban, rural or natural landscapes. Sedentary-nomadic species of crows, which live at the northern borders of their range, move to areas with a more benign climate for the winter.

What do crows eat?

Solitary by nature, crows are active hunters, who sometimes team up with relatives to capture prey or organize a common feast. Being scavengers, a flock of crows is capable of accompanying feathered predators for a long time, and also for the sake of their prey or its remains. Crows are omnivores and eat absolutely anything that they think will be edible. The crow's diet includes any insects (,), worms, eggs of other bird species and their chicks, fish, small rodents (and).

All kinds of food waste are the crow’s usual and favorite food, so large cluster These birds are often observed in city dumps. The crow feeds on insect larvae swarming in the dung.

In the absence animal food The crow eats plants and their seeds, fruits and vegetables.

Types of crows, names and photographs

The genus includes several species of crows:

• black crow(lat. Corvus corone)

It has black plumage, as well as black legs, feet and beak. Therefore, the bird is often confused with the rook. However, the plumage of the carrion crow has a much greener tint than that of the rook, and sometimes even a purple tint. The body length of an adult is 48-52 cm.

The species' range covers the territory of Western and Central Europe, where the black crow lives together with one of its subspecies - the eastern black crow (lat. Corvus corone orientalis), which lives in East Asia. In Russia, black crows nest in Eastern Siberia and the Far East.

• Hoodie(lat. Corvus cornix)

According to one of the classifications hoodie is a separate species, according to another, is a subspecies of the black crow. The length of the bird reaches 50 cm and weighs 460-735 grams. The hooded crow differs from the rook greater width wing and a particularly pronounced slope of the beak. The body is painted in gray. The head, chest, wings and tail of the hoodie are black with a slight metallic tint.

The gray crow lives in Eastern and Central Europe, Scandinavian countries, Asia Minor and throughout Russia, from the western part to the Kara Sea.

• Australian Crow(lat. Corvus coronoides)

It is the largest of three related species found in Australia. The crow's body length is 46-53 cm, and its weight is on average 650 g. The crow's black plumage has a blue-violet or blue-green sheen. A distinctive feature of all crows living in Australia is the white iris of the eyes and pronounced neck feathers. The throat of young individuals is covered with such sparse feathers that pink skin shows through between them.

The Australian crow lives in Sydney and Canberra.

• South Australian Crow(lat. Corvus mellori)

It is distinguished by its completely black plumage, long wings and a thin, strongly curved beak. A medium-sized species, the length of an adult crow is 48-50 cm. According to some scientists, the bird prefers only plant foods.

The South Australian crow lives in southeastern Australia, as well as on King and Kangaroo Islands.

• Bronze Crow(lat. Corvus crassirostris)

Originally called the vulture crow. Major representatives species have a body length of 60-64 cm. The beak of the bronze crow is quite large and exceeds the length of the head. The crow's coloration is completely black, with a single white spot on the back of its head. The tail of a crow of this species is characterized by a stepped arrangement of feathers.

The bronze crow lives in mountainous area and the high plateaus of East Africa: Ethiopia, Eritrea, as well as Sudan and Somalia.

• White-necked Crow(lat. Corvus cryptoleucus)

A typical representative of the genus, distinguished by the white bases of the feathers on the neck. The body length of an adult is 50 cm. This species of crow is common in the southeastern United States and northern Mexico.

• Big-beaked crow(lat. Corvus macrorhynchos)

The bird has a very large beak. The size of the crow depends on its habitat: representatives of the northern populations are larger than the southern ones, have a large beak and well-developed feathers on the neck. On average, the length of adult crows is 46-59 cm, and their weight reaches 1.3 kg. The body is covered with dark gray feathers. The wings, tail and head of the great-billed crow are black, with a purple or green tint.

The species includes 15 subspecies living in continental Asia and Far East Russia, as well as those inhabiting the islands: the Philippines, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Hokkaido, Yakushima and many others.

• Bristle Crow(lat. Corvus rhipidurus)

It grows up to 47 cm in length and is very similar to a black crow. However, the bird has a characteristically thick beak, long wings, a shortened tail and very short throat feathers. The species of bristly crows is distinguished by its glossy black color and characteristic purple-blue feathers and paws. The raven's feathers on the back of its head have a white base.

The habitat of this bird species begins in the Middle East, passes through the northern part of the African continent, along the Arabian Peninsula, through Kenya and Sudan to the Sahara Desert.

• Bangay crow(lat. Corvus unicolor)

The smallest crow of this genus, growing to only 39 cm in length. The species is characterized by black feathers and a short tail.

The least studied species of crow, found exclusively on Peleng Island in Indonesia. The species has endangered status and, according to scientists, the population today contains from 30 to 200 individuals.

White crows are very rare in nature - the result of mutation-albinism.

An albino can appear in any species group and will differ from its relatives only in its white plumage and extreme vulnerability.

How do crows reproduce?

At the age of 2 years, most crow species are ready to breed. Crows are monogamous birds and choose a mate for the rest of their lives. The mating games of a male and female crow are distinguished by intricate aerial turns, chases and somersaults. The most common species of these birds breed in early to mid-spring.

On the left is a female crow, on the right is a male crow

Crows make nests in forest parks and squares; they are laid in the forks of strong tree branches, on power line supports, cranes, and behind drains. Species that live in steppe and semi-desert landscapes make nests in crevices of rocks and cliffs. Both future parents usually take part in the construction, painstakingly constructing a nest from twigs and twigs. The crow's nest does not exceed 0.5 meters in diameter and has a height of 20-30 cm. Turf, clay, and often pieces of wire are used for fastening. The bottom of the nest is lined with feathers, down, dry grass, cotton wool and rags.

Depending on the type of bird, the clutch contains 3-6 or 4-8 eggs of light green or bluish color with dark spots. The female crow incessantly incubates the clutch for 17-20 days. The male crow feeds his companion and takes care of her throughout the entire period of hatching the eggs.

After 25 days, naked crow chicks are born, provided with food by both parents. The cubs fledge a month after birth.

You should not try to pick up a crow that has accidentally fallen from its nest. The parents make a terrible noise, calling their relatives with shouts, and zealously protect the cub. A flock of crows attacks a dangerous alien, be it animal or human.

At the beginning of summer, the crow's offspring begin to fly out of the nest, and for the first month they remain with their parents, who continue to care for them. In July, the young animals finally leave their native nest.

Nevertheless, family ties remain, and sometimes the offspring of previous years, instead of creating their own family, help their parents feed and raise their brothers and sisters.

There are two types of birds - raven and crow. What is the difference between them? Many people have asked this question. These birds are similar not only in name, but also appearance. Raven and crow have the same roots - they are from the family Corvoidae, belong to the order Passeriformes and the genus, naturally, Crows. But they have many differences that ordinary person doesn't notice right away.

General characteristics of birds

In many areas there are qualities that distinguish a raven and a raven from each other. What is the difference between these birds in their behavior?

• The peculiarity of the flight of a raven is that it is similar to the flight of predators and is characterized by heavy and slow wing beats. The crow flies like all its brothers in the squad: easily and quickly, with frequent flapping of its wings.
• Another difference is the croaking and clicking sounds of the birds. The first is inherent in the raven, the second - in the crow.
• The raven differs from its other feathered counterparts in its intellectual abilities. Animal psychologists this species birds have been credited with being comparable to the understanding of primates. Sometimes the intellectual abilities of a raven are equated to the intelligence of a dolphin. They are considered the most intelligent among birds due to high level communication and mutual understanding among brothers, the use of a beak instead of hands and self-control in character.
• How do crows and crows begin their flight? What is the difference between them in this regard? While taking off, the raven makes several jumps, and the crow takes off from the ground right away.

Why is it simply impossible to confuse the birds?

For all their similarities, they are endowed characteristic features, which are pronounced in each species. Knowing these differences, it is simply impossible to confuse the birds.

What do raven and crow look like? What is the difference in their appearance?

1. Crow - chief representative passerines. And all because of its size. In length it reaches from 65 to 70 cm. Gray and are small birds. Their sizes range from 44 to 56 cm.
2. There are also differences in the color of the plumage of a crow and a raven. The gentleman's feathers are black, while the lady's are black and gray.
3. You can also note the shape of the tails of birds. The raven has a wedge-shaped tail, the crow has a stubby tail.
4. A raven also differs from a crow in the plumage of its crop. If you see disheveled plumage, then in front of you is a raven, since a crow simply does not have it.

Is it possible at first glance to determine the difference between a raven and a raven? What's the difference? The photo will tell you, as the external differences are immediately noticeable.

Lifestyle

These birds do everything differently: nest, hatch chicks and communicate with each other.

• When a raven turns two years old, he begins to look for a mate with whom he will live until the end of his days (in most cases). The crow sticks to its mate only during the nesting period. At other times, she joins mixed flocks of birds of the raven genus.
• Crows have a custom of building two nests, which they use alternately for many years. They migrate on rare occasions, only if something threatens their existence. It will be very difficult to find a raven's nest; its location is extremely high in the forest, at the very tops of the trees. In addition, it has large sizes. The crow's nest can be observed in populated areas and their surroundings.
• How do raven and crow communicate with each other? What is the difference in their behavior? It happens that in the sky you can see a large cluster of crows, which create a wide thread, moving in a certain direction. The length of such threads can reach tens of kilometers. When autumn comes, it happens that a crow and its friends unite with rooks and jackdaws into a common flock, which can number several hundred birds. Unlike the crow, the raven is alone in its movements.

• The chicks of these species also have their differences. And it’s very easy to find out which one is which. The chick of the black crow is small in size, and the chick of its gray variety, in addition, also has a coloration like that of an adult. After a month of life, raven chicks are practically the same size as their parents. If we compare two month-old chicks, the raven chick is simply a giant. Another difference is the timing of the birth of young animals. Crow chicks appear and also leave their nests earlier than their fellow crows do the same.

Raven and crow: what else is the difference

There are still small differences that can characterize these birds.

• The raven lives most often within the boundaries of areas where the subtropical and temperate climate of Eurasia and North America predominates. The crow's habitat is Eurasia and Northeast Africa.
• Crows and ravens have a particular food preference for dead animals. Therefore, these birds are sometimes also called “orderlies”. Their food can be the eggs of other birds, small rodents, fish, invertebrates and even chafers.
• Unlike the crow, which lives for 8 years, the raven lives for more long life- 30 years old. One of the legends about these birds is that of the longevity of ravens, where it is believed that they can live up to three hundred years.
• The crow very quickly gets used to being around people. Raven is an individualist.

Many people think about birds such as raven and crow: what is the difference between them, and is there any? Yes, these birds are similar to each other in many ways, but the differences are significant.