Aust birds    Bird names   News   1-26    Habitats    Key plants    Glossary    Plumage    Nests    Tips    Thumbnails    Gen. info    Sponsors    Photos for sale   
NON-PASSERINES     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10     11     12     13     14 15     16     17     18     19     20     21     22     23     24     25     26     PASSERINES
Common names sorted alphabetically: A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   W   Y  

23

Little Raven

(Corvus mellori)
Size: 48-50 cm
Weight: 425-650 g

Similar
species

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

Physical description

Click here for a physical description

Taxonomy, classification

See Little Raven at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species

Click here for information on habitat and range

Sightings

Click here for sighting information

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal portrait of a Little Raven
[Near Hawker, SA, March 2008]

Near-lateral portrait of a Little Raven
[Near Hawker, SA, March 2008]

Lateral view of a Little Raven
[Near Hawker, SA, March 2008]

Near-dorsal view of a Little Raven (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]

The absence of pronounced hackles, the size of the bill and the shape of the tail all indicate that this bird is a Little Raven
[Near Narrabri, NSW, August 2010]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile Little Raven - note the pink gape (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal/roaming Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive Elementary unit: Flock

D. Johnston reports observing a Little Raven in Baradine, NSW, scavenging food and putting it in a hidden cache for later consumption.

Food, Diet

Adults: Omnivore Dependents: ? Water intake: Daily?

Like all members of the Corvus family known to us, Little Ravens are omnivores and scavengers.

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Little Raven plucking a caterpillar (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]

Although probably already dead, the immature Little Raven's prey is still trying to "abseil" - click on image to see the caterpillar hanging at the end of its silken thread (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Garden, Melbourne, VIC, October 2017]

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.

litrave_20221217_2.mp3 (NW NSW) "Conversational" + contact calls (mobile flock) © MD
litrave_20221217.mp3 (NW NSW) "Conversational" calls (mobile flock) © MD
litrave_20220926.mp3 (NW NSW) ? © MD

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.