How to Identify a Common Raven

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Look at the wings for a blue tint or an iridescent shine off the feathers. If either feature is present, you are looking at a crow. Raven feathers are matte black.
Step 2:
Focus on the beak. A raven's beak is short and thick, a crow's is longer and thinner.
Step 3:
Listen for the distinctive caw-caw of a crow. Ravens have numerous calls including variations on rrrrrhh-rrrrrh and ahhh-ahhh.
Step 4:
Get a glimpse of the bird's tail while it is flying. A raven's tail feathers angle away from the body creating a wedge shape. Crow tails extend at less of an angle. The tail is only a small amount wider than the body, making the tail and body appear to be continuous.
Step 5:
Check to see if the birds neck feathers are smooth or ruffled. Identify crows by their smooth neck feathers and necks that are thinner than the head or body.

Tips & Warnings

A group of common ravens is referred to as an unkindness.
Edgar Allen Poe wrote a poem called "The Raven," which keeps the species popular even to people who aren't bird watchers.

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