Carrion Crow vs Common Raven (1 Viewer)

[SimonG4ELI]

I saw a similar thread a while back - these black things aren't half confusing! At least up @ 2,000m or so I can be sure they are ravens, down here @ 1,000m this is shirley a crow?

Going by Collins it must be.

 

[tyrannulet]

that is a crow (the tail is more squared at the end then a raven would be and a raven would appear to have a larger head and bill.)

hope that helps

 

[SimonG4ELI]

that is a crow (the tail is more squared at the end then a raven would be and a raven would appear to have a larger head and bill.)

hope that helps

Thanks, it does help - confirms what I was thinking.

 

[gerdwichers8]

I wonder how those two sizes tailfeathers would make it when the tail is fanned.
Edit: Excuse me: those four different sizes.

 

[Ken Hall]

I saw a similar thread a while back - these black things aren't half confusing! At least up @ 2,000m or so I can be sure they are ravens, down here @ 1,000m this is shirley a crow?

Going by Collins it must be.

Super photo, Simon. And Shirley is a nice name for a crow

 

[wintibird]

Hi Simon,

Don't judge by altitude. I have seen Crows up to 3000 m.! And Ravens are not only found higher up, you will find them in the whole country, even at my place (450m) I can see them regulary although much rarer then Crows.
Usually the call is a giveaway, then the size (Ravens are as big as buzzards), the beak (huge with Ravens) and the shape of the tail.
By the way, one pair of Ravens is breeding in Bern at the Bundeshaus!

Greetings
André

 

[SimonG4ELI]

Hi Simon,

Don't judge by altitude. I have seen Crows up to 3000 m.! And Ravens are not only found higher up, you will find them in the whole country, even at my place (450m) I can see them regulary although much rarer then Crows.
Usually the call is a giveaway, then the size (Ravens are as big as buzzards), the beak (huge with Ravens) and the shape of the tail.
By the way, one pair of Ravens is breeding in Bern at the Bundeshaus!

Greetings
André

Thanks André,

It's probably the most difficult ID there is up here so far.

Weather is miserable at the moment, poor light, birds dozing in the trees most of the time, tourists making a right royal racket. Should be better in two weeks.

 

[gerdwichers8]

Ehm..I tried to say with my reply that this bird has long tailfeathers and that the other tailfeathers get shorter and shorter.
These together make a wedge shaped tail when the tail is fanned.
Now your species is clear.
The head and the bill are taken from the underside so whe cant judge it sideways, but we dont need it.

 

[Frenchy]

As gerdwicher always seems to avoid mentioning the birds identity , i'll clarify by saying it looks like a raven.

 

[tyrannulet]

nah, i can see where you are getting the idea of a raven but your are judging that by its size and you cant tell that since there is nothing to judge it against

 

[SimonG4ELI]

nah, i can see where you are getting the idea of a raven but your are judging that by its size and you cant tell that since there is nothing to judge it against

It wasn't raven-sized, definitely smaller. Comparing the bill with Collins description makes me sure-ish it's a crow.

Could be a dwarf raven though :-O !

 

[Frenchy]

It wasn't raven-sized, definitely smaller. Comparing the bill with Collins description makes me sure-ish it's a crow.

Could be a dwarf raven though :-O !

Then it must be growing its outer tail feathers.

If you knew it was a crow, why bother putting it in the forum?

Agree with you tyrannulet when you say that you can't judge size, so what makes you think its a crow if you too can't judge the size?

P.S. Ravens are breeding at less than 100 meters here in Lincolnshire in the east of the UK.

 

[SimonG4ELI]

If you knew it was a crow, why bother putting it in the forum?

Because I just wasn't sure and was looking for confirmation, as simple as that. I've been tragically wrong before :'D .

With all the juveniles about and my lack of experience I decided to ask.

I'm not from the area where I live, this is my first season birding since circa 1973 / 1974 when I lived near to Langness on the Isle of Man.

 

[Momo]

P.S. Ravens are breeding at less than 100 meters here in Lincolnshire in the east of the UK.

Whereas there are no records of their breeding below 200 metres in Switzerland. Makes ya think ...

 

[gerdwichers8]

Listen up, the Netherlands is below sealevel and bit landinwards even we have Ravens, so what does this mean in a bird whith a tail like that?
When I cycled from Jericho to Jerusalem, I even passed sealevel in the middle of high mountains, but I would not have objected if someone had told me there where some Brown necked or Fantailed Ravens around ( I had no time for birding since I had to work like an ox)

 

[Momo]

Well me and the Mrs. were out in the Bathyscaph this morning and we didn't see no breedin' dwarf ravens at all. I blame it on the media.

 

[gerdwichers8]

In Holland we are deep in our Raven knowledge

 

[SimonG4ELI]

Well me and the Mrs. were out in the Bathyscaph this morning and we didn't see no breedin' dwarf ravens at all. I blame it on the media.

The late expert Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling actually taught dwarf ravens how to fly underwater.

That man was a genius.

Sir Arthur Streeb-Greebling

 

[Momo]

The sort of thing that, if read while taking refreshments, will make tea come shooting down your nose.

 

[gerdwichers8]

Or caramel pudding to be wiped from your TFT, but they appear in the same catagory.
Any way, it s a Raven, based on the wedge-shaped tail.