Alternative name: New England Raven
- Corvus tasmanicus
Inlcudes Relict Raven
Identification
52 - 54cm. A large crow.
- White eye with blue inner ring
- Prominent black bill
- Inconspicuous throat hackles
- Short tail
- Base of feathers ashy-brown (only visible in hand)
- boreus with longer wings and tail, more similar to Australian Raven
Sexes similar, juveniles duller than adults.
Similar species
Only corvid in Tasmania. On mainland Australia similar to Australian Raven and Little Raven. Best told apart by very deep, harsh voice and in flight by broad-based wings and broad tail.
Distribution
Found in southeast Australia and Tasmania.
Abundant in Tasmania, local and declining on the mainland.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Two subspecies:
- C. t. tasmanicus in Tasmania, Victoria and adjacent S Australia
- C. t. boreus in New South Wales
boreus is sometimes split as Relict Raven.
Habitat
Woodland, dense forest, pastoral land, littoral. Favours habitats dominated by eucalypts.
Behaviour
Diet
An omnivorous scavenger and predator. Feeds on invertebrates, small birds, eggs, small mammals, carrion, seeds, fruits and sometimes nectar. Forages in pairs or family parties.
Breeding
Breeding season mostly from July to September. Solitary nester. The nest is a large bowl made with sticks and placed 3 - 36m above the ground in a tree fork. Lays 3 - 6 eggs.
Movements
Sedentary species. Non-breeders can disperse more than 100km from breeding site.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
- Simpson, K and N Day. 1998. Field Guide to the Birds of Australia. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-4877-5
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Forest Raven. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Forest_Raven
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
