NATURE’s Ravens explores how these all-black creatures acquired their dual and contradictory images — as birds of both life and death.
Long recognized as one of the most intelligent birds, the raven also has a less than savory image throughout history as a scavenger that does not discriminate between humans and animals.
Ingenious and versatile, ravens are members of the crow family, which includes jays and magpies. They are found everywhere in the northern hemisphere and adapt to very different terrain, from deserts to mountains — a feat requiring high intelligence.
They learn to find food even in the harshest conditions, such as the dead of winter in Yellowstone National Park. As scavengers, ravens know how and when to take advantage of other animals to help them cadge a meal they couldn’t otherwise reach. In Yellowstone, bison that don’t survive the harsh winter attract coyotes, whose sharp teeth and strong jaws rip open the tough, frozen hides — making the meat accessible to watchful ravens. They also have been seen following wild wolf packs to a kill; some stories even have ravens flying ahead of the wolves to lead them to prey.
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Online content for Ravens was originally published December 2001.
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when will pbs show the raven special again? i missed it but would like to watch it or purchase it.
peace,
To order a copy of Ravens, please visit the NATURE Shop.
this is not all that intrestng
I have a pet raven….rescued from a nest when his tree was cut down. He can’t fly, tho x-rays show no reason. (Maybe he doesn’t want to.) He can ‘fly’ up to the top of a six foot fence and hops/flaps to get where he wants to go. His behavior is very like the ravens in the program, he caches food, will catch frogs, (eats just about anything) and is an awesome mimic….often sounds like there are people conversing in the barn he lives in. Also barks or whines like our dogs, and has figured out if he makes the ‘going to lay an egg’ noise around our laying hens, they will start laying, at which point he goes down and steals the egg. He seen us use the latch on the door to the goat shed twice, and promptly started unlatching the door and letting the goats out.
We get a huge kick out of him, wish we had a mate for him, as the wild ravens around here seem to know he can’t fly and will ‘dive/attack’ him if he’s out by himself, so we always have to keep an eye out when he’s out in the yard.
ravens are cool birds
I would like to know more about Ravens
I have a lot of them in my yard,and they love dogfood.
The latest interesting thing I have seen a crow do is hop up and balance repeatedly on an empty water bottle turned on its side in a parking lot. Of course the bottle would roll around, but the crow kept hopping back up on top, messing around for several minutes. A pair of ravens lives near me and they know when I top off my horse water trough. They wait in a nearby tree until I leave and then take a drink and bath, and often leave me some nice food garbage like chicken drumsticks floating inside.
lets go baltimor ravens forget the regular raven
last week there were so many ravens in a tree near my house im talkin like maybe 100 ravens it was kinda creepy
a flock of crows is called a . im not sure about ravens though
sorry it is called a
it wont show the word m u r d e r
I have a similar situation as Val in #4 comments, he has only been in our backyard 2 days, he won’t fly but we made it possible for him to leave the yard and he did then he returned the next morning. I think he is young because it looks like mom and dad are hanging around trying to get him to fly. I live in Victorville, calif., just in case val #4 lives nearby.
A group of ravens lives at our school. This a.m. they were alone on the playground in 30 degree weather hopping up and down in unison. It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen birds do. Is this normal for ravens?
I am living in Germany right now and I was wondering if anyone knows where I can see ravens in their natural habit here? I am fascinated by ravens and would like to see then in their natural habitat. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
i have never met a raven in my life considering i live in hawaii but i had a conversation with a crow once on one of my trips to the mainland. they never leave you alone after that they just want to keep talking to you as if your part of the group.
We have been feeding crows/ravens in various parking lots here in Juneau this winter. There has been so much snow and ice, we think the birds are having trouble finding food. We buy bread to feed them. I know they will eat fish, etc. Are therre any suggestions as to a less expensive food Thanks
Do you have any information about the ravens size,
I really think ravens are scary because my best Guy friend had one has a pet and the raven started pecking at me which I really don’t like so instead of stay at his house we went and saw a movie. A SCARY ONE!
We have beautiful ravens here in Alaska. They’re HUGE.
That’s interesting that we can’t type the word murder on here…
Go Baltimore Ravens!!!!!!!!
We have had a nesting pair of ravens return to our yeard for about 10 years. It has been so amzing to see them build their nest in late winter and raise their broods. Something killed one parent this year and the second has apparently abandoned the babies. We listen to them cry for their food. It is so sad. And next year, we probably won’t have any either. I will miss them. Spring won’t be the same
Ravens love dog food. We also put out any mice we catch and they will always take them.
Rather than talking about how “sad” it is, Margaret, did you consider rescuing the chicks?
Have a broken winged raven in our yard. He has survived 22 days, foraging dog food, bird seed, and any leftovers we have that the neighbors dogs don’t eat. Today he has graduated to a tree branch. The other day he was treated to a newly dead squirrel. He can run far to fast for any of us to catch. We don’t know if we should capture him and take him to a vet, or let him be. The vet said he would remove the wing. Any suggestions?
I agree with Jm you should rescue the birds so that they live. Bring them inside so they are warm and feed them.
JM, if you are able to rescue the birds, please do. They need a safe haven. Feed them small bugs, ground food of any source and as they get older, they will be able to eat small pieces of left over meat, fruit, even small pieces of pizza. Give them lots of clean water and good luck!
JM, of course we considered trying to rescue them. If we could have saved them, we would have. However, they were about 60 feet up in a fir tree, which is quite unclimbable. We called a local bird rescue, (yes, we have one in our small town of 5,000) but they said there was nothing they could do. We had to go away about 3 days to a wedding. They were quiet when we returned, so we assume dead. It is the way of the wild, but we are still sad. We have seen ravens in the vacinity. We are hoping the surviving parent will remate and bring the new mate back next spring. c swazey, they had already graduated to squirrels, so small bugs wouldn’t fill any bellies. Ravens are a very large bird. The wing we found on the ground, folded as it would be against their body, measured 18 inches.
hey the raven is the most selfish bird,when die its body doesnt rot wow!
Actually it is drying and just the wing. A birder told me to put it in a place that is either-always cold or always hot. Then it should just dry out.
We just found two ravens that fell (presumably)from the nest. I think our dog was onto the chicks so we rescued them and brought them into the garage and put them in a dog kennel. The parents seemed to calm down since we picked them up,but after a few hours, they haven’t eaten. I hope I did the right thing by picking them up.
How are they doing? Someone said dogfood might work. I know they eat raw meat in the wild.
I have had many exotic animals in my time,reptiles and large birds. I watched two Ravins build a nest this last winter. I should say they watched me watch them build a nest in a cell phone tower. I looked up at them nesting, and thought it would be nice to care and raise a ravin. Well it was tim to fly and one of the three landed fairly close to me. I’ve let it go three times. Each time it stays airborn longer and longer. The parents are trying to help it when it’s out, and maintain contact. she is very healthy. Their is more to this story if anyone is interested let me know. Thanks.
Pablo, please continue with your story. I would love to hear it.
Yesterday I changed her(kahlua)squair pole for a round one she jumped on it before I had it all the way in, she likes it. Also I put a stainless steel water bowl in her cage, and she jumped in before I closed the door! I had Kahlua out today Her mom and dad did a fly-by and they exchanged hello’s. She has a very healthy appitite. loves Tomatos, red bell pepers, caned dog food, lettuce, macarony and swiss cheese, She really loves small slices of raw beef, when I give her that she squaks and opens her mouth. I also balled up small pieces of bread then poored some caned milk on them she ate that also. Every time I see her I say hello, and i think she is starting to say hello! She is at least speeking to me a lot differantly than mom and dad. One evening when the chicks were small, or perhaps not even born yet mom and dad landed on the edge of the building accross the street from me. I was lucky enough to take some pictures of them grooming each other, with the sun setting it was like two beautifull sillowets in motion. Well tomarrow is another realease day. When her family returns from their morning hunt about ten a.m. I’LL put her in back of the truck and open the door to the cage and hope she can fly up to here home.
Last night I was changing the water as I reached for kahlua’s water bowl that she was standing next to she hoped on my hand and wrist. She started up my arm a little and look at me. I shrugged her off, When I returned she did it again. She knows that my arm is attached to my body and thats the way out. I think she is ready to joing her family. So far one has returned from the morning hunt, and they have begun to comunicate. I here her starting to talk more. Be right back. Yea three are up their. It’s time to release her I’ll let you know.
Released her yesterday. She made it up to the nest. Mom and Dad seemed real happy to see her.
Lesli Ann, if you still have your raven, don’t remove the wing! I’ve had one 4yrs. w/broken wing & leg and he hops around and has been able to fly 6-8ft. into the air. He was hit by car, & never thought he’d make it! They are remarkable creatures. just feed small dog food, hamburger, grapes, raisins, scrambled eggs etc. You won’t be sorry, they are beautiful!!
It’s a M*rder of Crows, a Warning of Ravens. And they also help inuit hunters, they flip barrel roll in flight, giving away the direction of Caribou, whose innards and eye balls are its favorite food.
I have a raven that been hanging around now for 2 days outside my door. it wants to come in the house, I don’t know what to do with it. it sits on our cars when we try to go some place, my wife is scared of it. If I go outside it follows me around I don’t know why. It’s huge maybe the largest I’ve seen, I gave it water it wasn’t interested in drinking or eating. What’s the deal with this bird, it’s hard to do outside work with it around, we just bought this house and have lots of yard work to do. Any suggestions and help in this matter appreciated.
(I’ve tried to chase it away which only makes it more agressive, I’ve sprayed it with a garden hose and that does not work either. It sits at the front door trying to get inside the house.
Hi to all.
Well I became attached to this bird, not physically but by it’s spiritual story. Reading all the story from different part of the world about this bird has amazed me in many ways.
Well we all know that God also use this bird Raven. Why? By reading the story above I came to know that it is an intelligent bird I could say. It can survive any type of weather and no wonder Noah use the bird to look for dry land in Genesis during the flood.
It shows how intelligent this bird is when in the 1st Kings Chapter 7. Elijah was fed by the Raven when God declares famine in Israel. Who God use to deliver the food to Elijah? None other then Raven the bird. The Raven deliver Bread and Meat to Elijah every morning and evening.I haven’t been in close contact physically with this bird , hopefully someday I will. Like the oxford dictionary say, the bird with the unpleasant voice. Indeed it is but a loving bird.
I’m surprised Benedict of Nursia (Norsia) did not come up. A Raven supposedly saved him from eating a poisoned loaf of bread then flew away to dispose of it safely at Benedict’s direction.
We havr a lot of Ravens in our neighborhood. I would like to feed them. We had Scrub Jays that we ‘made friends with’ at our old house. Can I do this with the Raven? How? Any ideas will be tried, and appreciated.
I am an evangelist and I have been studying about the ravens (1 kings 17), Ive gotten addicted (lol) studying about them, All these comments and stories really made my day. ive found out so much about them…..honestly, i preached about them about 7 times in the last 2 weeks…..pray for my addiction! lol
Told my neighbour that while they were away on holidays I saw the biggest raven I have ever seen, I have a fondest for crows and ravens coming from the west coast. Was deeply saddened today when this neighbour told me that she had shot it today, how sad, just like humans, don’t understand what something is so lets kill it. I am so saddened by this.
Actually Wayne, a gathering of ravens is called an “unkindness” or sometimes a “conspiracy.” A group of crows is a murder, thats true.
Raven’s are magical creatures! I love the variety of Native stories, particularly the one of Raven who started out life being white. He stole back the sun which had been put in a box and turned black when he escaped with it through the smoke hole of the lodge. It is well worth reading as are the other stories about Raven. I have been fortunate to have a ’spiritual’ relationship with Raven. In my experience Ravens never hang out in groups. Their little brothers, the crows do so, and some crows can get very large. Ravens have a special voice – it is awesome to converse with one. To my knowledge Ravens also mate for life, or at least a fair number of them do so, and they are loyal. Sadly, on a quest we encountered a Raven who had been hit lying on the road. His/her mate was further up the road. Looked like he was circling back for his mate when he got hit. We honored them before moving on. [Lynn, my sympathies for the Raven who was killed!} On another quest, I saw one Raven flying/playing with several hawks. They were doing loop ‘d loops over the desert. On another quest I followed a Raven through the woods until I saw bear prints. I thought it best to return back to camp at that point. :-) I laid down for a nap in my tent and was ’sung’ to sleep by that or another Raven perching just outside my tent. Like I said, I am blessed to have met Raven! Mr. Snoopy, why not invite the Raven in (perhaps when your wife is not at home) and ask it what it wants. The Raven may have connection with the land there, and may leave once it has met its goal. I’d love to know the outcome. . . . . . R
My name is Raven and the name is a great fit.
okk i read the poem the raven by edgar allen poe and i dont understand it at all so my teacher told me to look up what the raven means in other languages but i cant find anything
What is the differance between a Raven and a crow
We had a couple of ravens live near us and they where great to watch. We had 2 mid sized dogs and an 8′ fence around our property. The garage “man door” was left open so the dogs could come and go as they pleased. This was where we kept their food. We where in the garage when one raven landed right in the open doorway and started croaking. Prompting the dogs to chase it as it flew low and slow to the front of the yard then perched atop the fence croaking at the dogs. While the other came from the side, landed in the doorway looked at us and hopped in across the garage and took some of the dog food. They did this for days and we just laughed. The dogs never caught on and we never chased them off so they kept coming in.
what do you call a group or flock of ravens [crows are a 'murder' of crows]
I came to order the “Ravens” DVD (cause I still have the VHS) but while I’m here I’d like to add what a great job PBS did on “Ravens” and after reading some of the posts (like the preacher above) perhaps to suggest to those who like raven stories check out Bob, Huey & Me (the PDF is free at http://www.theravendiaries.com)
Good question Gail. I also would like to know the differance between a Raven and a Crow?
a flock of ravens is called an unkindness–is that correct??
The some of the differences between ravens and crows; size, beak, tail, nesting areas, but more than anything is the difference in how they live and how they react to other animals. Ravens tend to be more like country folk with lots of time and room, they really seem to have fun! Crows are like ravens raised on coffee; nervous, jumpy and too wired to have fun!
Thank you Frank I see so many large black birds that (kaw) I always wonder is it a crow or a raven. Is their anything in their looks to identify them? Terry maybe Frank might help us out.
Raven 3lbs / Crow 1 to 2 lbs. Raven Diamond or wedge tail / Crow tail “cut off” look. Raven “Roman nose” with top of bill curved / Crow top and bottom of bill closer to the same size. Ravens gather but more often found in pairs / Crows more “gang” oriented. Ravens more in countryside / Crows more city. Ravens lean forward when they “roc” / Crows rock up and down when they CAW! Raven makes a softer sound / Crow sound seem harsher to me. Does this help?
I was camping near furnace creek in Dearh Valley the first part of October. I had been told that a peregrine falcon had moved into the area and was terrorizing the local bird population. The following day while walking through the campground I saw the falcon (actually a prairie falcon as opposed to a peregrine) flying slowly at about 100 feet, obviously hunting. I had been watching him for a few moments when a very large raven flew into my field of vision and struck the falcon a glancing blow from behind (”blindsided” him), tumbling him in the air. The falcon fled immediately to the nearest tree making distress calls all the way, while the raven flew on as though nothing had happened. While we have ravens around our home in central Nevada, and I’ve always known them to be large, aggressive and sometimes combative birds who love to dive on my dogs, this behavior surprised me completely. I’ve never seen anything like it. The raven appeared to be establishing a campground “pecking order” as opposed to actually trying to down the falcon, but who’s to say what his intentions really were. I know this…any bird that would attack a prairie falcon which is every bit as large and aggressive as a peregrine has my respect.
Great story senioirmaster, I love to hear how ravens react with and to birds of prey. This year I was watching three chicks play not more than 5 feet from me when a peregrine attacked one of the chicks. The 2 fought it out in the air, with the baby raven doing lots of screaming. He seemed unharmed but as the falcon left the 2 adults came and drove it out of their area. They looked like WWI biplanes in combat. It was great!