Often mistaken as evil harbingers of doom or a spooky Halloween decoration, ravens (part of the Corvidae family) are highly intelligent and fascinating creatures. They are able to use tools, barter, plan for the future and even play games like hide-and-seek. These smart birds have been known to imitate human speech. They can also mimic animal and bird calls, garbage trucks and toilet flushing.
They Are a Scavenger
Ravens are scavengers that feast on a variety of food sources, including carrion. These birds can be found in a range of habitats, from forests to deserts. They also frequently scavenge in garbage dumps. Unlike other scavengers, ravens can’t break open bones with their beaks, so they use their claws to tear through carcasses. They have been known to steal food from other scavengers, including Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers. Ravens often work in pairs to acquire food when compared to raven vs crow. One bird lures a predator away from a carcass while the other sneaks in to dine on its soft innards. They’ve even been known to taunt other animals, such as wolves and otters.
These intelligent birds can imitate animal and human sounds, as well as various man made noises, like toilet flushing or a car starting. Their large brains help them solve problems with remarkable insight. They’re also great pranksters, and have been immortalized in literature and folklore.
They Are a Predator
Ravens are not only scavengers, but also hunters. They can trap and kill prey that is up to twice their size. They are omnivores and are not afraid of eating roadkill or even rotting animal carcasses. In captivity, ravens can imitate their owners and develop better speech skills than most parrots. They can even mimic noises like bird calls, toilet flushing and car engines!
Ravens can be playful, too. They sometimes play games with other animals, such as tug of war or sword fights. They also make toys out of sticks, pine cones, golf balls, or other objects and play with them by themselves. They have been known to play pranks on dogs and cats by pulling their tails or cocking their heads. They also like to push snow off roofs onto people below.
Ravens are incredibly intelligent birds. They can communicate with other ravens by holding up objects or “pointing” at them with their beaks. They can solve complex problems, such as reaching a hanging piece of food with their beaks.
They Are a Prankster
Corvids, which include crows and ravens, are known to pull some pretty nasty pranks. They have been known to use gravestones as perches, steal Costco shoppers’ packaged meats and even scavenge on human corpses. It is no wonder that people all over the world associate this dark bird with death and omens.
Ravens are also very intelligent. They can follow complex commands and use tools to get food. They have been known to line their nests with Christmas tree tinsel and stainless steel tire pressure gauges. They can also fake-hide their food and trick other birds into thinking it is gone.
Scientists are constantly challenging ravens with more and more complex problems, and they keep figuring them out. They have even been seen mimicking human speech and gestures. In the wild, they often imitate wolves or foxes at carcasses to attract them so that they can eat the leftovers when the wolf is done. They can also remember the faces of other ravens and will respond positively to them up to three years later.
They Are Intelligent
Ravens aren’t your typical birdbrains. They can create and use tools, recognize human faces, and plan ahead. They can also mimic other birds and environmental sounds and produce a distinct “cru-cru” call. In an intelligence test, ravens were shown to remember and select the correct tool to open a box, a feat that was previously believed to be reserved for humans and great apes. They have been known to hide food in specific locations, including behind structures that obstruct the view of other birds. They have also been seen dropping unshelled walnuts on highways, hoping cars will crush them for their meat inside. This is tactical deception, and it works!
Ravens are smart and manipulative. They can hold grudges and seem to understand empathy—if another raven loses a fight, they try to console the losing bird. They can also point with their beaks, a behavior used by males during the mating ritual to attract females.
