Northern raven
Corvus corax
A very large all-black crow with a heavy bill and a wedge-shaped tail. Confirmed in Georgia as a year-round breeding resident on the 2024 national bird checklist; the checklist lists the nominate subspecies Corvus corax corax.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Diet
Omnivore, scavenger
Status in Georgia
Year-round resident
Size
54–71 cm
Habitat
Cliffs, mountains, open country
Family
Corvidae
Conservation
LC
Human interaction: It is not venomous and is not a medical threat to people. A large bill and strong feet can injure if the bird is handled or cornered. Leave nests alone. Wild birds must not be kept as pets. Carrion-feeding means it may appear near roads and livestock carcasses; that is normal scavenging, not an attack on people.
Overview
What is Northern raven
The northern raven (Corvus corax) — also called common raven — is the largest crow in Georgia and one of the heaviest passerines worldwide. Georgian name is ყორანი. The 2024 annotated checklist of the birds of Georgia codes it YR-R: a breeder present throughout the year. Seasonality is classed as high-quality (code A). Occurrence quality is high (H), with photographic evidence. The checklist lists subspecies C. c. corax. Adults are about 54–71 cm long at species level, with a wingspan of about 116–153 cm. It is not venomous and is not a threat to people on ordinary encounters. IUCN lists the species as Least Concern. The 2024 checklist assigns the same category nationally.
Last updated
Gallery
Northern raven in photos
Photo: R. Altenkamp
Berlin ·
Photo: Charles J. Sharp
Babadag, Turkey ·
Photo: Charles J. Sharp
Uckermark Nature Park, Germany ·
Photo: Diego Delso
Nymphenburg Palace, Munich ·
Photo: Mindaugas Urbonas
Novaraistis Nature Reserve, Lithuania ·
Identification
How to identify Northern raven
Very large all-black crow with a heavy bill, shaggy throat feathers (hackles), and a wedge-shaped tail in flight. Deep croak. In Georgia the usual confusion is hooded crow by size and colour pattern, and alpine choughs when all-black birds soar over mountains.
- 01
Size and shape: about 54–71 cm long at species level; wingspan about 116–153 cm. Much larger and heavier-billed than hooded crow or rook. In flight the tail is graduated and looks wedge- or diamond-shaped, not straight-edged. Soaring is frequent. A separate measured series from Georgia is not given on this page.
- 02
Plumage: adults are glossy black with blue or purple iridescence in good light. Throat feathers are long and pointed (hackles). The bill is deep and slightly curved; the nasal bristles cover much of the base. Juveniles are duller, with a less glossy plumage and a pinkish gape when very young. Sexes look alike in the field.
- 03
Hooded crow (Corvus cornix) is a year-round resident in Georgia on the 2024 checklist and is grey-bodied with a black head, wings, and tail — not all black. Rook (Corvus frugilegus) is also confirmed there (YR-R; M; WV); adults have a bare greyish face around the bill base and a more peaked crown; the tail is not strongly wedge-shaped. Red-billed and yellow-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, P. graculus) are smaller alpine corvids with slender, curved bills that are red or yellow, not black. Carrion crow (Corvus corone) is not on the 2024 Georgian checklist as a confirmed species; do not assume every all-black crow is a raven. This atlas does not yet have separate pages for those lookalikes.
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It is harmless to people on ordinary encounters. A large black bird soaring over Caucasian cliffs with a deep croak and a wedge-shaped tail is typically this species.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
This page does not colour a municipality-by-municipality map. The 2024 checklist confirms country-level year-round residence but does not publish a regional gazetteer. Do not assume it is equally common in every settlement or on every alpine ridge. At species level it uses cliffs, open mountains, woodland edge, river gorges, and mixed farmland; it often nests on cliffs or in tall trees and may use high structures. NPLG’s Georgian dictionary entry treats it as a resident found widely in the country, more numerous near the upper forest line, and notes vertical occurrence to about 2,500 m, with foraging higher when food allows — that is a secondary summary, not a new field census on this page. Named encounter contexts (tour lists, protected-area checklists, and photo localities; not a full national map): Greater Caucasus birding areas around Kazbegi; Svaneti (including a 2016 Mestia photograph gallery record); Tusheti National Park on regional Avibase checklists. Dense city centres are poorer habitat than cliffs, gorges, and mountain pastures.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian diet study on this page. Across the range it is an opportunistic omnivore and scavenger: carrion, small mammals, birds and eggs, invertebrates, fruit, and human refuse. It may take weak or dying animals but is not a typical large-game hunter. Do not put out poisoned baits or carcasses. It is not food for people.
Behavior
It is active by day. Flight is strong and often soaring; the tail looks diamond- or wedge-shaped in flight, not squared like a typical crow. Pairs hold territories; young birds may gather in loose groups. The usual call is a deep, resonant croak, not the higher caw of hooded crow. Species-level nests are large stick platforms on cliffs or trees; clutch size is often about four to six eggs, with incubation of roughly three weeks — those figures are from the wider range, not a Georgian nest sample on this page. The 2024 checklist treats the species as a year-round resident breeder in Georgia, not as a passage migrant. Local birds may make short seasonal movements for food; that is not the same as long-distance migration. Voice on this page: xeno-canto XC727695 (Johannes Worona); no Georgian recording is included here. Do not handle wild birds or approach nests closely.
Conservation
BirdLife International assesses Corvus corax as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with a very large range and an increasing global trend in the last published assessment used here. The 2024 Georgian bird checklist assigns global and national Red List category LC. A current national population census is not given on this page. The species does not appear as ყორანი / Corvus corax on the 2014 Georgian Red List (Government Decree No. 190). At species level, historical persecution, poisoned baits, and habitat change can reduce local numbers; those pressures are not quantified for Georgia on this page. Do not catch or kill wild birds without a legal basis.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Northern raven.
Yes. The 2024 annotated checklist of the birds of Georgia lists it as a confirmed year-round resident breeder (YR-R), with high-quality photographic evidence.
Often over cliffs, mountain pastures, gorges, and open country away from the densest city centres. Named encounter contexts include Kazbegi-area birding routes, Svaneti (including Mestia photo records), and Tusheti National Park checklists. This page does not map every municipality.
Very large all-black crow, heavy bill, shaggy throat hackles, wedge-shaped tail in flight, deep croak. Hooded crow is grey and black. Alpine choughs have red or yellow bills.
About 54–71 cm long at species level, wingspan about 116–153 cm. A separate measured series from Georgia is not given on this page.
Carrion and a wide mix of animal and plant food. Diet has not been studied separately for Georgia on this page.
All year as a resident breeder, according to the 2024 checklist (YR-R). It is not coded as a passage migrant there.
Yes. YR-R on the 2024 checklist means resident breeder present through the year.
It is harmless to people on ordinary encounters. Globally and nationally it is coded LC on the 2024 checklist. It is not on the 2014 Georgian Red List. Do not catch wild birds or use poisoned baits.
- Budagashvili & Javakhishvili 2024 — The birds of Georgia (Sandgrouse 46)
- BirdLife DataZone — Common Raven
- IUCN Red List — Corvus corax
- IOC World Bird List
- Avibase — Georgia bird checklist
- Avibase — Tusheti National Park checklist
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- NPLG Wiki Dictionaries — ყორანი
- Birds of Georgia — Common Raven photo gallery (Mestia record)
- Birding Caucasus — Classic Georgia tour list (Northern Raven)
- Wikimedia Commons — adult, Berlin (R. Altenkamp, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — in flight, Babadag (Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — in flight, Uckermark (Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Munich (Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Lithuania (Mindaugas Urbonas, CC BY-SA 2.5)
- xeno-canto XC727695 — Corvus corax (Johannes Worona, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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