BirdNote; Ravens and Crows - Who's Who?
- Transcript
BirdNote®
Ravens and Crows – Who’s Who?
Adapted by Dominic Black from a piece by Frances Wood and Dennis Paulson
This is BirdNote.
[Suburban street ambient and Northwestern Crow sound]
So, you’re walking down the street, and a trash can’s been tipped over. And eagerly picking through the riches strewn across the sidewalk are several black birds. They’re crows. Or…ravens. No, definitely crows…maybe?
How can you tell the difference? Well, first off: listen. Crows caw:
[Northwestern Crow’s caw, caw]
While ravens croak:
[Raven’s croak]
And while Common Ravens and American Crows look quite similar, there are a few ways to tell them apart:
Ravens are larger. And they often travel in pairs. Crows usually hang out in larger groups.
Next, try to get a look at the bird’s tail.
A crow’s tail feathers are basically all the same length, so its tail opens like a fan. But a raven has longer middle feathers in its tail, so it looks more like a wedge or a triangle.
By far, though, the best way to tell these two birds apart is to look at their bills. The crow has a modest bill, but the raven has a great big chunky-looking beak that pretty much says "Yeah, that’s right. I’m a raven."
Ravens tend to stick to the wilder parts of the world, like woodlands and open spaces. But when you’re walking past those trash cans, you’re probably seeing crows.
[crows]
For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.
###
Producer: John Kessler
Managing Producer: Jason Saul
Editor: Ashley Ahearn
Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone
Assistant Producer: Mark Bramhill
Narrator: Michael Stein
Special thanks to Dominic Black, Dennis Paulson and Frances Wood.
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Recorded by G. A. Keller and G. Vyn. Ambient recorded by C. Peterson.
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2019 BirdNote September 2018 / 2019
ID# 091605corvid AMCRCORA-01b-2010-09-28 AMCR-CORA-01d
- Series
- BirdNote
- Episode
- Ravens and Crows - Who's Who?
- Producing Organization
- BirdNote
- Contributing Organization
- BirdNote (Seattle, Washington)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip-a66709e3967
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip-a66709e3967).
- Description
- Episode Description
- Is that big black bird a crow or a raven? How can you tell? Ravens (seen right here) often travel in pairs, while crows (left) are seen in larger groups. Also, study the tail as the bird flies overhead. A crow's tail is shaped like a fan, while the raven's tail appears wedge-shaped or triangular. Another clue is to listen closely to the birds' calls. Crows give a cawing sound, but ravens produce a lower croaking sound.
- Created Date
- 2019-09-03
- Asset type
- Episode
- Topics
- Science
- Subjects
- Birds
- Rights
- Sounds were provided by the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Xeno-Canto, Martyn Stewart, Chris Peterson, John Kessler, and others. Where music was used, fair use was taken into consideration. Individual credits are found at the bottom of each transcript.
- Media type
- Sound
- Duration
- 00:01:45.195
- Credits
-
-
Copyright Holder: BirdNote
Producing Organization: BirdNote
Writer: Wood, Frances
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
BirdNote
Identifier: cpb-aacip-66e5dc64efa (Filename)
Format: Hard Drive
Generation: Master: preservation
Duration: 00:01:45
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “BirdNote; Ravens and Crows - Who's Who?,” 2019-09-03, BirdNote, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed July 16, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-a66709e3967.
- MLA: “BirdNote; Ravens and Crows - Who's Who?.” 2019-09-03. BirdNote, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. July 16, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-a66709e3967>.
- APA: BirdNote; Ravens and Crows - Who's Who?. Boston, MA: BirdNote, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-a66709e3967