Ravens and Crows

The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and common raven (Corvus corax) are members of the corvid family, which also includes jays and magpies. Crows and ravens are closely related species, and both occur here in the San Bernardino Mountains. They are similar in appearance and people who are new to birding often find it challenging to tell them apart.

While ravens (pictured above) are considerably larger than crows (4 ft wingspan versus 3 ft), it is often difficult to discern size in the field. Further, unless you happen to see the two species side by side, (highly unlikely) a visual comparison isn’t really feasible. However, there are several reliable ways to tell these two birds apart.

Before jumping into the tips to help distinguish ravens from crows, it is interesting to note that crows were formerly considered not to occur in the San Bernardino Mountains. Anita K Booth’s book, Birds of the San Bernardino Mountains was published in 2001 and indicates that “there are no crows in the S.B. Mountains.” However, a 2014 checklist published by the US Department of Agriculture called Birds of the San Bernardino National Forest lists crows as uncommon year-round residents (https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd535844.pdf) and a regular breeder in our area. Although ravens far outnumber crows here in the mountains, they have certainly extended their range and are clearly members of the local avian population..

So, how do you tell a raven from a crow? As I first indicated, although ravens are larger, size is not the easiest way to tell them apart. Let’s start with vocalizations. They are both very noisy birds, but the crow’s “caw, caw, caw” call is clear and unmistakable. The raven’s call was described by well-known field guide author Roger Tory Peterson as “a croaking cr-r-ruck or prruk.” I tend to describe the raven’s call as guttural or ragged sounding.

Crows have considerably smaller (shorter and less thick) beaks than ravens. In fact, the crow’s species name “brachyrhynchos” means “short beak” in Latin. Ravens also have what some describe as shaggy throat feathers, which crows lack.

The two species might be most easily distinguished from each other in flight. A raven has more pointed, swept-back wings in flight when compared to a crow. Ravens also often soar like hawks with very few wing beats. Crows may glide for brief periods but are usually actively flapping their wings. Finally, the raven’s tail is wedge shaped, while the crow has a fan shaped tail.

Here in the mountains, you are more likely to see ravens than you are crows, but it is possible to see both. Armed with the tips above, and with a little practice, you should be able to tell them apart without much difficulty.