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23

Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides) Alternate name(s): "Crow*", "Raven*", "Kelly*" Aboriginal name(s): Race "perplexus": "wodang", "kwokom", "karlo" (WA) Size: 48-54 cm; wing span 100 cm (average) Weight: 530-760 g

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Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Together with Forest Ravens, Australian Ravens are the largest of the Australian members of the Corvus family (corvids). Their plumage is glossy-black on the back, plain black in front. The ear coverts and shoulders are a bit lighter than the rest of the plumage. Their appearance depends mostly on the angle of infalling sunlight. Their most distinctive features are the prominent erectile "hackles" on the throat that are visible when calling. Another distinctive feature is that the bill is longer than the size of the head. In straight, level flight the tail is long and straight, with a somewhat rounded or wedge-shaped tip. The eyes have whitish irises. The long, straight bill is dark-grey. The legs and feet are also dark-grey, with pink foot soles. Juveniles have fleshy gapes, dark irises and a shorter bill and tail, and no hackles yet. Twitcher's tip The correct identification of corvids in the field is notoriously difficult. Compared with other Australian corvids, Australian Ravens have the longest bill (longer than the size of the head) and a slightly rounded tip of the tail. If visible, e.g. when ruffled by wind, the base of feathers of ravens is grey (while those of crows have white bases). The transition from black to grey is gradual (while in crows the transition from black to white is abrupt). Most of the birds from the Corvus family ("corvids") commonly called "crows" in South-East Australia are in fact "ravens". The most common member of this family in (near-)coastal South-East Australia is the "Australian Raven".

Taxonomy, classification See Australian Raven at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Australian Raven is available HERE . There are two races of Australian Ravens, both of which are endemic to the Australian continent. Nominate race "coronoides" populates the eastern half of Australia, from eastern SA, eastward of Coober Pedy (except the Lake Eyre Basin and an area near Adelaide) through all of VIC and NSW (except the far north-eastern corner of NSW) and into southern QLD. In QLD they are not found near the East coast or in the ranges. Outside the breeding season they extend their range to include central and northern QLD, except Cape York peninsula, plus the eastern part of the NT, in rare cases up to about Alice Springs (but not in the Simpson Desert). Race "perplexus" is found in the south-western corner of WA, South-West of a line connecting Kalbarri with Kalgoorlie, WA, and all along the South coast of WA. Australian Ravens, race "perplexus", are the only corvids on the south-western tip of WA. There is also a population in SA, in a small area West of about Coober Pedy and from there towards the Nullarbor. Australian Ravens can be found in many different types of habitat, except dense forest. They are scavengers and will often be seen by roadsides and also rubbish tips. They can also regularly be found on beaches and dunes.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "coronoides" Australian Ravens, race "coronoides", were regular visitors at the place where we lived from 2003 to 2006, 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW. They often took off with half or more of our chicken scraps, accompanied by sounds that resembled quite distinctly a human "harharhaaaaar"... They are also one of the most common birds at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, especially in autumn/winter. Together with Australian White Ibises and Black Kites, Australian Ravens, race "coronoides", are amongst the most common birds seen by us around rubbish tips. Australian Ravens, race "coronoides", are also sighted by us regularly in and to the East of the Great Dividing Range, e.g. in the area from Armidale to Dorrigo, NSW. They were also seen by us at various locations on a trip to outback NSW and South Australia in March 2008. R. Plumtree reports seeing Australian Ravens, race "coronoides", regularly in East Gippsland, VIC. J. Greaves spotted Australian Ravens, race "coronoides", at Karatta, Kangaroo Island, SA, in March 2016. E. Scott reports spotting Australian Ravens, race "coronoides", occasionally at Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW. This location is on the north-eastern edge of the species' range. Race "perplexus" J. Greaves reports spotting Australian Ravens, race "perplexus", regularly in Perth, WA. They were also found at Wave Rock, near Hyden, WA, in March 2017. C. Pears reports that Australian Ravens, race "perplexus", are also commonly found in Quindalup, WA. In August/September 2022 the species was found nesting in Perth, WA, where they are common as well.

Photos

Race "coronoides"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Close-up full-frontal portrait of an Australian Raven; their forward vision (note the position of the eyes) shows that they are not worried about raptors (or predators of any kind); note also the light-blue ring in the inner iris and the prominent throat hackles
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2015]

Near-frontal portrait of an Australian Raven
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2015]

Near-lateral portrait of an Australian Raven
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2015]

Close-up lateral portrait of a mud-caked Australian Raven
[Pilliga, NSW, December 2022]

Frontal/ventral view of an Australian Raven; note how, with sun glare, the partly reflective plumage makes the bird appear grey, rather than pitch-black
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, March 2016]

Near-frontal view of an Australian Raven (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Karatta, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]

Near-frontal view of an Australian Raven looking sideways (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, November 2016]

According to the photographer, this Australian Raven was a bit of a practical joker... (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, November 2016]

Near-lateral/ventral view of an Australian Raven displaying its hackles
[June 2009]

Lateral view of an Australian Raven (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, November 2016]

Lateral view of an Australian Raven
[Epping, NSW, April 2006]

Lateral/ventral view of an Australian Raven; note that there are no white tail feathers - these are glossy black feathers reflecting sunlight
[March 2011]

Lateral/ventral view of an Australian Raven calling and in the process displaying its hackles
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, March 2013]

Near-dorsal portrait of an Australian Raven (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Karatta, Kangaroo Island, SA, March 2016]

Dorsal view of an Australian Raven (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, November 2016]

Dorsal view of an Australian Raven
[March 2011]

Corvids are notoriously difficult to tell apart; apart from the hackles shown above, one more characteristic of an Australian Raven is the slightly rounded shape of its tail in normal flight (as opposed to the Torresian Crow's, which has a square tip)
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, August 2012]

Lateral view of an Australian Raven in flight
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

Different phase of the wing beat
[July 2011]

Near-dorsal view of an Australian Raven banking in low flight (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[South Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, June 2014]

Ventral view of an Australian Raven in flight; note the rounded shape of the tail end
[Near Burren Junction, NSW, March 2014]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of an immature Australian Raven looking sideways; note the brown eye (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Eulo, QLD, June 2020]

Near-frontal view of an immature Australian Raven (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Eulo, QLD, June 2020]

Frontal view of a juvenile Australian Raven; note the light-blue eye
[October 2010]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Australian Raven
[Pilliga, NSW, December 2022]

Fledgling Australian Raven observed near its nest
[Near Narrabri, NSW, 2006]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Australian Raven in flight
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

Lateral view of a juvenile Australian Raven in flight; while the length of the bill, compared to the size of the head, indicates that this is an Australian Raven, the absence of hackles suggests that the bird is still young
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

Frontal view of a juvenile Australian Raven playfully breaking twigs
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2015]

Corvus coronoides "moriturus" - a blind Australian Raven that appeared in our garden in November 2011; although it could still fly, it was doomed (one can see that it was under attack from ants already)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2011]

Example of how reflection of sunlight off an Australian Raven's glossy plumage can change its appearance
[Bullawa Creek SCA, NSW, August 2013]

Race "perplexus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-lateral view of an Australian Raven (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, August 2015]

Lateral view of an Australian Raven (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, August 2015]

Lateral view of an Australian Raven in the stance for calling (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, August 2015]

Close-up near-dorsal view of an Australian Raven displaying prominently its hackles while calling (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, May 2023]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of an immature Australian Raven (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Herdsman, Perth, WA, November 2022]

Frontal view of a juvenile Australian Raven (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wave Rock, near Hyden, WA, March 2017]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Australian Raven; note the hackles and the brownish iris [rather than light-grey]
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wave Rock, near Hyden, WA, March 2017]

Frontal view of a juvenile Australian Raven; in this view, from underneath, one can see the hackles typical of the species and also remnant bare skin patches at the base of the bill, typical of young birds (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wave Rock, near Hyden, WA, March 2017]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Sep

Eggs: 4 - 5

Incubation period: 19 days

Fledging age: 28 days

There can be communal breeding, with more than one female laying eggs into the same nest. All family members help care for the chicks.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Sticks with grass, wool or fur lining

Height above ground: <10 m

Note that Australian Raven nests are a valuable commodity that is often re-used in subsequent seasons, mostly by raptors, in particular different species of falcons. For an example of such a re-used nest, see the page on the Black Falcon.

Australian Raven working on its nest high up in a tree top (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Perth, WA, August 2022]

Different nest, with three chicks looking out over the edge
[Rocky Creek, NSW, September 2008]

Australian Raven arriving with two sticks for its nest
[Whittaker's Lagoon, NSW, June 2012]

Pair of Australian Ravens preparing its nest for the new breeding season - first a straight branch
[Whittaker's Lagoon, NSW, June 2012]

Pair of Australian Ravens preparing its nest for the new breeding season - then a prickly branch from a briarbush to lock everything in place
[Whittaker's Lagoon, NSW, June 2012]

Tree chosen by a pair of Australian Ravens for building their nest (in a small fork near the top)
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, September 2012]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 45 x 35 mm

Colour: Creamy, heavily speckled all over with brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal/roaming

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Group

Outside the breeding season Australian Ravens tend to form small mobs of up to ca. 20 birds
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, April 2017]

Australian Raven taking a bath
[August 2011]

Australian Ravens are the "highway patrol" in the bird world. They fly along roads searching for road kill, which, together with ants, Wedge-tailed Eagles and Whistling Kites, they will clean up in a very short time.

They are very well adapted to the presence of humans in cities, but shy out in the wild. They often come in pairs in summertime and groups through the winter, one first checking out the terrain before the others approach. Even then one will probably remain high in a tree while the others forage.

We have seen an Australian Raven hustle an Australian Magpie, stealing its prey in flight. When the Magpie let go of the small lizard it had caught, the Australian Raven scooped it up in mid-air and then flew to a nearby tree to pluck it apart while sitting on an horizontal branch.

As nest robbers Australian Ravens are not well-liked by other bird species, especially during the breeding season; here a Noisy Friarbird has taken offence
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, October 2012]

Willie Wagtail harassing an Australian Raven
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, October 2020]

Willie Wagtail literally scaring the sh** out of an Australian Raven
[Yarrie Lake, NSW, October 2020]

Food, Diet

Adults: Omnivore

Dependents: ?

Water intake: Daily?

Like all members of the Corvus family known to us, Australian Ravens are omnivores. They are often found scavenging at rubbish tip and by roadsides. Many are also found in crops and fallow fields.

Australian Ravens on a kangaroo carcass - the first point of ingress is via the soft parts (the anus; the bird on the lower right)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2016]

Australian Raven feeding on the carcass of a Common Bronzewing
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2021]

Australian Raven exploring the carcass of a fox cub
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2012]

Australian Raven pulling an earth worm out of soft soil in rainy conditions
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2016]

The "bread thief" - Australian Raven making off with a piece of bread
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, March 2013]

Australian Raven with a good meal in its bill - several olives
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2013]

Australian Raven seen by us taking a live bird; it is not known to us whether it made the catch or scavenged the prey, likely a Diamond Dove, from a raptor
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Here an Australian Raven that we have seen with something to eat (hard to identify at this distance) on the water's edge; we do not know whether the bird caught its prey in the water or whether it may have rinsed its meal (a behavioural pattern that we have seen used by a House Crow in Oman)
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2011]

Unexpected observation: Australian Ravens taking nectar from a Grevillea robusta tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2012]

Two Australian Ravens having a good time at the "Road Kill Restaurant"... (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Maules Creek, NSW, June 2013]

... but then a Whistling Kite appeared and spoiled all the fun (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Maules Creek, NSW, June 2013]

Australian Raven checking for dead animals washed up on a beach and sand dune
[Munmorah SCA, NSW, July 2013]

Australian Raven taking off with an unwary human's apple...
[Urunga board walk, Urunga Heads, NSW, August 2015]

This Australian Raven may be in for a disappointment - that "egg" looks suspiciously similar to a golf ball...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2018]

We have also observed Australian Ravens feeding their dependent young mulberries. These are mostly taken from the ground, not directly picked from branches.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

austrav_20190816.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Contact call? ("Har-har-haaaar")	© MD
austrav_20180120.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Contact call? ("Har-har-haaaar")	© MD
austrav_20181130.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Contact call? ("Har-har-haaaar")	© MD
austrav_20210517.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Contact calls Q&A?	© MD
austrav_20180516.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Contact calls Q&A (in-flight)	© MD
austrav_20230216.mp3	coronoides (NW NSW)	Conversation between two flocks	© MD
austrav_20180516_3.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Departure	© MD
austrav_20210523.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	? (2 chasing Brown Falcon)	© MD
austrav_20210102.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Various (family)	© MD
austrav_20151219.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Various (immature)	© MD
austrav_20201025_2.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Family of 4 departing	© MD
austrav_20221220.mp3	coronoides (NW NSW)	Begging calls (juvenile)	© MD
austrav_20220128.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Juvenile begging & being fed	© MD
austrav_20210117.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Various (juveniles)	© MD
austrav_20210502_2.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Various (with low grunts)	© MD
austrav_20210415.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	? (Q&A)	© MD
austrav_20210502.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	? (in-flight)	© MD

We have also recorded the sound of Australian Ravens' wing beats.

austrav_20200816.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	Flying a bend	© MD
austrav_20210112.m4a	coronoides (NW NSW)	2 passing over	© MD

More Australian Raven sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Wed, 10 May 2023, 9:35 +00:00