Common raven
Scientific name: Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758
Overview
The common raven or northern raven is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. There are 11 accepted subspecies with little variation in appearance, although recent research has demonstrated significant genetic differences among populations from various regions. It is one of the two largest corvids, alongside the thick-billed raven, and is the heaviest passerine bird; at maturity, the common raven averages 63 centimetres in length and 1.47 kilograms in weight, up to 2 kg (4.4 lb) in the heaviest individuals. Although their typical lifespan is considerably shorter, common ravens can live more than 23 years in the wild. Young birds may travel in flocks but later mate for life, with each mated pair defending a territory.
From the Wikipedia article “Common raven”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 689 g | Wikidata, citing Animal Diversity Web |
| Weight | 1,625 g | Wikidata, citing Animal Diversity Web |
| Weight — Adult | 1,041 g | Wikidata, citing genomics.senescence.info |
| Weight — Hatchling | 25 g | Wikidata, citing genomics.senescence.info |
| Weight | 800 g | Wikidata, citing birdfact.com |
| Weight | 1.5 kg | Wikidata, citing birdfact.com |
| Length — Adult | 69 cm | Wikidata, citing Animal Diversity Web |
| Length | 60 cm | Wikidata, citing birdfact.com |
| Length | 68 cm | Wikidata, citing birdfact.com |
| Lifespan — Wilderness | 17.17 years | Wikidata, citing Animal Diversity Web |
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa; Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China); Middle America; North America; Southern Asia.
Common names
Also known in English as Northern Raven, Raven.
Names in other languages (11)
- Arabic
- الغُرَابُ الأَسحَمُ, الغُرَابُ الشَّائِع, الغُرَابُ الْمَأْلُوف, الغُرَابُ النُوَيحِيُّ, غراب شمالي, غراب مألوف
- Bengali
- করভাস কোরাক্স
- Chinese
- 渡鸦
- French
- Grand Corbeau
- German
- Kolkrabe
- Japanese
- watarigarasu, ワタリガラス
- Persian
- غراب معمولی
- Portuguese
- corvo, corvo-comum
- Russian
- ворон
- Spanish
- Cuervo, Cuervo común, Cuervo grande
- Turkish
- Bayağı kuzgun
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q25357, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Common raven”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Accipiter (R. Altenkamp, Berlin), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026