As seen in the first photo, with their glossy black plumage and familiar croaking calls, even when at a great distance the American Crow is one of the easiest birds to ID in the field.Or so you might think, lol! In fact we’ve got another species of corvid here in North Carolina which can muddy up the waters of a definitive ID. This species is the Common Raven (second photo) and unfortunately they look very similar to the American Crow when viewed from a great distance.
One way to quickly rule one species out from the other is by location. Ravens are usually only found in the higher elevations of western NC, often seen soaring above the peaks of the Appalachians. Crows on the other hand are generally found just about anywhere in N.C. at any elevation. You can also differentiate the two by listening to their call (Common Raven- a horse sounding crooaack vs. the familiar cawwww caawww of the American Crow).
Another clue to telling these two beautiful birds apart is by the shape of their tails. Ravens have long-ish wedge shaped tails while the Crow has a squared off rectangular shaped tail. In addition, if you’re close enough take note of the size of the birds bill vs. its head. Ravens have much larger, heavier beaks than crows plus a few whiskery feathers at the base. Lastly, measuring 27 inches in size and sporting a nearly 4ft wingspan, Ravens are much larger than Crows who measure only around 17 inches long with a wingspan of 2.5ft wide.
Whichever large black bird you might encounter here in NC, take the time to appreciate them. Ravens and Crows are among the most intelligent of species, truly entertaining to watch and well worth the time in studying their behavior.
