The Common Raven is an acrobatic flier, often doing rolls and somersaults in the air.Young birds are fond of playing games with sticks, repeatedly dropping them, then diving to catch them in midair.
Breeding pairs of Common Ravens hold territories and try to exclude all other ravens throughout the year.
Common Ravens are smart, which makes them dangerous predators.
They sometimes work in pairs to raid seabird colonies, with one bird distracting an incubating adult and the other waiting to grab an egg or chick as soon as it’s uncovered.
Common Ravens can mimic the calls of other bird species. When raised in captivity, they can even imitate human words; one Common Raven raised from birth was taught to mimic the word “nevermore.”
Common Ravens are so bold, playful, and clever that they’re almost always doing something worth watching. They’re less gregarious than crows, often seen alone or in pairs that stay together year round.
The oldest known wild Common Raven lived to be 17 years 2 months old.
