THE RAVEN (the crow) FACTS

The raven is the king of the Corvidae birds, weight 3 pounds. It is black and has a strong beak, wing span 4 feet, length 2 feet plus, The raven can reach an age of 30-50 years. The oldest only in captivity. The raven is omnivore.

The nest is built in trees, on cliffs and on power-line poles usually 15 - 30 m above the ground. They use twigs and sticks, the lining is made of animal hairs -especially from elk (moose)- Juniper bast and grass.

The eggs are 4 -8 light blue and spotted. Both parents feed the nestlings who stay in the nest until they are almost full fledged when they start to walk around in the tree top. Pairs live in lifelong "marriages" and annually return to the same nests.

The ravens don't move south in the winter, they move around in wide areas to find food. The raven is a very skilful flyer, diving, flying upside down, turns somersaults and other tricks. Imitating other animal sounds, the sound of the wind and human speech are other skils. The raven is believed to be intelligent and regarded as the king of Corvidae family.