Australian raven is a highly intelligent bird under the genus Corvus. Most interestingly, according to the some scientist, it is almost intelligent as the great apes. Corvus Coronoides is the scientific name of Australian raven. There are three species of ravens in Australia. Little raven and forest ravens are the closest relative of Australian ravens.
Contents
Unique Identification Features Among Australian Birds
The Australian raven is the largest species among Australian corvids. It is growing up from 46- 53m(18-21in) in length with a 100cm wingspan and the weight is around 650g.It has full black plumage, beak and mouth with the strong gray black legs and feet. The upper portion of the plumage is glossy with a blue-purple to a blue green sheen.
It has long hackle under the throat which is almost look like a beard. Adult to older Raven has white irises. Younger adult have white irises with an inner blue rim. The most younger birds have dark brown irises and its exist until 15 months of age. Ravens are l found in pairs.
Distinguish from Australian Crow
The Australian raven and Australian crow both are quite similar by their looks. But we can distinguish Australian raven’s from Australian crow by its throat hackels which is visible in adult ravens .Without these Ravens are much larger than crows and range, calls are also different. At the time of calling, raven do not flick her wings, which also make these spices unique.
Distribution of Australian Raven
Australian Ravens are mostly common in eastern, southern and central part of Australia and it is the most common corvid in Sydney, Perth and Canberra. Australian Ravens are usually prefers woody areas with large trees or coastal regions for their nesting sites and feeding grounds. Generally Australian raven and crows can not be find in the same area.
Habitants
Australian raven construct their nest in tall trees so that they can use it as a lookout post too. In city areas they build their nest on buildings and windmills. Their nest are usually large and untidy and it consist of bowl or a platform of stick lined along with grasses and barks. The thickness of the platform is up to 5cm(2in). Both birds(male-female) build their nest together for 1 year usually and abandon the nest after breeding season is finished.
Vocalisations of Australian Raven
Australian raven’s territorial call is very slow. Ah-ah-aaaah, it uses these kind of call to communicate with other Australian ravens of the area. The volume dependent on the order of notes like a couple often make a low murmuring sound at the time of peering, single high pitched ca while flying over other territory, a long ca when returning to the nest.
Read: How Much Weight Can A Crow Carry? Get The Facts Here
Food Habits of Australian Raven
Australian ravens are omnivorous. They eat more meats than other species of their family. Their diet contains a high proportion of insects in summer, plant items in autumn and in winter they prefer flesh mostly. Spiders, grasshoppers, cicadas, caterpillars are contains in their diet list too.
They remain foraging from early morning to late afternoon. Ravens often use their long beaks instead of their feet. Australian ravens frequently drink water and its up to 10 times in summer time. The most interesting thing is Australian raven can killed birds, even which almost have sizes like young Rabbits are the most common prey item for ravens. Mostly mammals are eaten as carrion.
Mating Habits of Australian Raven
Australian ravens are monogamous. They spend their whole life with one partner. Australian raven started to do breeding from 3 years of their age. Best breeding time for Australian ravens are July-September. The female ravens paw 4-6 eggs together and incubate them alone during 20 days.
The chicks are born blind. Till 5 days their skins remain pink. Within 11-12 days, their eyes opened fully and they almost gets 35-36 days old when they get fully feathered. At 40-45 days, the young leave their nest for the first time. After that, they continued to live with their parents for another 3–4 months.
Interesting Facts
- At the time of foraging Australians ravens sometimes picked up golf balls from far always, Most probably they mistake them as their eggs.
- If they find a carrion, they often try to hide it in a hole. In fact, they hide their food from other ravens too.
- They dunk the piece of meat in water and make it soggy and soft before eating it. They do the same thing when the time of hard food and biscuits too.
- According to the Australian Aboriginal mythology, Australian ravens are cultural heroes. In Central Victoria, in the Kulu nation, ravens are known as “Waa” and were regarded as one of the moiety’s ancestors.
Conclusion
That’s all about the Australian raven. They are intelligent and resourceful birds, with some fascinating behavior and traits. With their glossy black feathers, white irises and throat hackles, they are easily distinguishable from other birds in the area. They are a common sight in Australia, and make an interesting subject for observation and study.
Hyeat is the founder of Birds Indeed, a blog dedicated to all things avian. With a passion for birds and a deep understanding of their behavior, Hyeat shares their knowledge and experiences with readers. Join Hyeat on their journey to learn more about the diverse and beautiful world of birds.
