The Rave

The Common Raven (Corvus corax), also known as the Northern Raven, is a large, all-black passerine bird. Found across the northern hemisphere, it is the most widely distributed of all corvids. There are at least eight subspecies with little variation in appearance—although recent research has demonstrated significant genetic differences among populations from various regions. It is one of the twolargest corvids, alongside the Thick-billed Raven, and is possibly the heaviest passerine bird; at maturity, the Common Raven averages 63 centimetres (25 inches) in length and 1.2 kilograms(2.6 pounds) in mass. Common Ravens can live up to 21 years in the wild, a lifespan exceeded among passerines by only a few Australasian species such as the Satin Bowerbird and probably the lyrebirds. Youngbirds may travel in flocks but later mate for life, with each mated pair defending aterritory.
The Common Raven has coexisted with humans for thousands of years and in some areas have been so numerous that they are considered a pest. Part of its success comes from its omnivorous diet; Common Ravens are extremely versatile and opportunistic in finding sources of nutrition, feeding oncarrion, insects,cereal grains, berries, fruit, small animals, and food waste.
Some notable feats of problem-solving have been observed in the species, leading to the belief that it is highly intelligent. Over the centuries, it has been the subject of mythology, folklore, art, and literature. In many indigenous cultures, including those of Scandinavia, ancient Ireland and Wales, Bhutan, the northwest coast ofNorth America, and Siberia and northeast Asia, the Common Raven has been revered as a spiritual figure or god.
Taxonomy
The Common Raven was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th century work, Systema Naturae, and it still bears its original name of Corvus corax. It is the type species of the genus Corvus, derived from the Latin for "Raven". The specificepithet, corax/κοραξ, is the Ancient Greek word for "raven" or "crow". The name "raven" has been applied to several other (generally large) species of the genus Corvus, though they are not necessarily closely related to Corvus corax. Some, such as theAustralian Raven and Forest Raven, are clearly closer to the other Australian crows.[8] The original raven is now called the Common or Northern Raven.
Themodern English word raven has cognates in all other Germanic languages, including Old Norse hrafn and Old High German (h)raban, all which descend from Proto-Germanic*khrabanas. An old Scottish word corby or corbie, akin to the French corbeau, has been used for both this bird and the Carrion Crow.[13] Obsolete collective nouns for a group of ravens (or at least the Common Raven) include "unkindness" and"conspiracy".[15] In practice, most people use the more generic "flock".

Classification
The closest relatives of the Common Raven are the Brown-necked Raven (C. ruficollis) and the Pied Crow (C. albus) of Africa, and the Chihuahuan Raven (C. cryptoleucus) of the North American southwest. While some authorities recognized as many as 11 subspecies,[17] others only recognize eight:
C. c.corax (the nominate subspecies) occurs from Europe eastwards to Lake Baikal, south to the Caucasus region and northern Iran. It has a relatively short, arched bill. The population in south-western Europe (including the Balearic Islands, Corsica and Sardinia) has an even more arched bill and shorter wings than "typical" nominate, leading some authorities to recognize it as a separate subspecies, C. c.hispanus.
C. c. varius occurs in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. It is less glossy than C. c. principalis or nominate corax, is intermediate in size, and the bases of its neck feathers are whitish (not visible at a distance). An extinct color morph found only on the Faroes is known as Pied Raven

C. c. subcorax occurs from Greece eastwards to north-west India, Central Asia and western China...