Raven, 2020, oil and acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40 cm
The raven is an incredibly intelligent bird. They can imitate human speech as well as other bird songs. Of course, the raven is best known (allow me a bit of poetic licence here) for its role in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem ‘The Raven’ and the film adaptation with Vincent Price. In real life, the raven is a lot bigger than people often think.
Differences between crows and ravens:
- Ravens are a lot larger (the size of a hawk, crows are the size of a pigeon).
- Crows live in ‘murders’ (groups of crows), while ravens live solitary or in pairs.
- Crows have a straighter bill than ravens.
- Ravens have ‘fluffy’ throat feathers, a crow’s throat is smooth.
Collective noun: a conspiracy of ravens