(Corvus corax)

“Chupacabra”

Distribution: The Common Raven is a year-round resident throughout most of Canada, Alaska, the western and northeastern United States, along the Appalachians, and south into Central America.

Size: Common Ravens are about 2 feet long, have a wingspan of nearly 4 feet, and weigh 1 ½ – 3 ½ pounds.

Diet: Common Ravens are omnivores and scavengers. They eat various arthropods such as insects and scorpions, grains, fruit, small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, eggs, garbage, and carrion.

Lifespan: Ravens have been recorded to live over 13 years in the wild.

Reproduction: Breeding probably occurs at 2-4 years of age. Nests are constructed of sticks, and lined with mud, fur, wool, or grass. Nests are typically found in a tree or on a cliff, but can also be found on power or telephone poles, billboards, bridges, or in and on abandoned buildings. A clutch of 3-7 eggs is incubated, mostly by the female, for 20-25 days. Fledging occurs at 4-7 weeks of age, but young stay near the nest, continuing to be fed by parents for up to 6 weeks.

Did You Know

• Common Ravens are amazing fliers. They have been seen flying upside down and doing somersaults in the air. This is part of both play and courtship displays.

• The Common Raven is the largest songbird and possibly the smartest of all birds.

• Ravens have been known to cause trouble for people by pecking holes in airplane wings, peeling rubber seals and windshield wipers off automobiles, taking clothespins from clotheslines, and stealing golf balls.