A common raven curiously eyes the camera. (Photo by Mary Holland)
The common raven (Corvus corax) has long been a part of the folklore of many cultures. As Cornell’s Laboratory of Ornithology states, Native Americans of the Northwest revere the raven as being the creator of earth, moon, sun, and stars, but they also regard it as a trickster and cheater. Poets and authors of Western cultures have often used the raven to symbolize death, danger, or wisdom.
Even though the raven is regarded in a variety of ways by a variety of cultures, most would agree that it is one of our most intelligent birds: crafty, resourceful, adaptable, and quick to learn and benefit from experience. Their intelligence is well demonstrated by the ingenious ways in which they find food. Ravens have been seen feeding on tidal flats by flying down and bumping the wet sand, in order to disturb sandworms. It is not uncommon for them to follow cows and other animals (as well as plows), in order to consume the insects that are stirred up.
Ravens wait patiently along roadsides for fresh roadkill. They have been seen flying at an elevation of several hundred feet, dropping sea urchins and mollusks which split open upon landing on the rocks below, ready to be consumed.
A technique the raven intentionally uses with turkey vultures demonstrates their canniness. Turkey vultures are gentle and nonaggressive birds. When threatened, they tend to vomit, rather than attack their predator. When dealing with ravens, the turkey vulture’s survival strategy works beautifully. The raven starts to harass the vulture until it disgorges the food it recently consumed. Then the raven proceeds to eat the vomit (instead of the vulture), a win-win situation for both.
Perhaps the most intriguing of their many skills is ravens’ ability to work as a team. Arthur C. Bent, an ornithologist who collected firsthand observations by birders in the 1800s, describes a scene where a dog eating a bone was discovered by a raven. The raven flew down and proceeded to caw loudly in hopes of scaring the dog away. A second raven appeared and the two birds harassed the dog as they stood just out of reach, by his head. A third raven then appeared and grabbed the dog’s tail in such a manner as to cause the dog to turn and try to snap at the bird, at which point one of the two ravens by the dog’s head rushed in and snatched the bone.
Ravens working together often have amusing interactions with other species. An observer by the name of Kumlien witnessed a snowshoe hare being chased by two ravens. He reported that the ravens would spell each other, in order to rest. Sometimes the raven would catch the hare by the ears, and the hare and raven would roll down the mountain side together thirty or forty feet, until the raven lost his hold, and then its companion would be on hand to renew the attack.
There are times when teamwork is essential for catching prey. Ravens have been known to raid seabird colonies, with one bird distracting an incubating adult and the other waiting to grab an egg or chick as soon as it is uncovered. Several times, Kumlien saw ravens capture young seals that lay basking in the sun near their holes.:
“The first manoeuvre (sic) of the ravens was to sail leisurely over the seal, gradually lowering with each circle, till at last one of them dropped directly into the seal’s hole, thus cutting off its retreat from the water. Its mate would then attack the seal, and endeavor to drag or drive it as far away from the hole as possible. The attacking raven seemed to strike the seal on the top of the head with its powerful bill, and thus break the tender skull.”
Even though they are brilliant, ravens are not admired by everyone. They are considered pests by many people in the agricultural field due to their appetite for everything from grains to calves. Ravens have been implicated as factors in the decline of several threatened and endangered species (California condor, least tern, desert tortoise, and marbled murrelet).
There are many conflicts that arise with humans, but one must still give them their due. Whether scavenging or hunting, ravens are using their impressive brains to survive. It’s small wonder that in a study in Wyoming ornithologists discovered that during hunting season, the sound of a gunshot draws ravens in to investigate a presumed carcass, whereas the birds ignore sounds that are just as loud but harmless, such as an air horn or a car door slamming.
Mary Holland is the author of “Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-by-Month Journey Through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England.” She has a natural history blog which can be found at www.naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com.
