Nature Table: RAVEN

RAVEN (Corvus corax)

The largest of the seven species of crow found in Ireland adults are jet black with a bluebottle tinge and one of the best ways to identify them in flight is by the characteristic shape of the tail — a broad, bluntly-pointed wedge. Another good way is by their deep, croaking calls. Ravens have a large vocabulary and use it frequently to communicate with each other. They appear to be very intelligent birds and are frequently playful. The play normally consists of aerobatics, but a party of them have been observed sliding on their backs down a snow bank— apparently just for fun. They were rare here up until a few decades ago because of persecution and were mainly confined to high mountains and sea cliffs. Recently numbers have increased, often nesting in tall trees rather than on rocky ledges.