Crow vs Raven: How to Tell Them Apart by Size, Tail and Sound

Key differences at a glance

The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) and the common raven (Corvus corax) are close relatives in the genus Corvus, which also includes the carrion crow, hooded crow, rook and jackdaws of Europe. Both are glossy black from bill to toe, so color is no help.

The table at the top of this page sums up the main differences. In the field, look first at the tail shape in flight, then listen to the call, then compare the size of the bill and the throat feathers. No single clue is perfect, but two or three together almost always settle it.

Size: which is bigger?

The raven is much bigger. A common raven measures 54–71 cm (21–28 in) long with a wingspan of 116–153 cm (46–60 in), and it usually weighs about 0.7–2 kg (1.5–4.4 lb), making it one of the heaviest songbirds in the world. An American crow measures 40–53 cm (16–21 in), with a wingspan of 85–100 cm (33–39 in), and weighs 316–620 g (11–22 oz).

On average, a raven weighs roughly two to three times as much as an American crow. Size alone can be hard to judge on a lone bird far away, though, so use it alongside the other clues.

Tail and flight: the best field mark

Seen from below in flight, a crow’s tail is squared or slightly rounded at the end, like an open fan, because its feathers are nearly the same length. A raven’s tail is longer and wedge- or diamond-shaped, because the central feathers are longest.

The way they fly differs too. Crows flap steadily and rarely glide for more than a few seconds. Ravens often soar on outstretched wings like hawks, ride updrafts along cliffs and ridges, and perform aerial rolls and tumbles, especially in courtship. A raven’s long wings also look more pointed, with clearly separated “fingers” at the tips.

Bill, head and throat

A raven’s bill is huge, deep at the base and curved along the top, giving it a “Roman-nosed” look, with long bristles covering the nostrils. A crow’s bill is smaller, slimmer and straighter. The raven’s head also looks bigger and more angular.

Ravens have long, pointed throat feathers called hackles, which give a shaggy, bearded look, especially when the bird calls and puffs them out. A crow’s throat looks smooth.

Voice: caw or croak?

Voice is one of the most reliable clues. The American crow’s call is the familiar, clear “caw-caw-caw.” The raven’s typical call is a deep, hoarse, rolling croak, often written as “gronk” or “prruk,” that carries a long way. Ravens also make knocking, bell-like and gurgling sounds.

Beware of young crows, which can sound hoarse and nasal, and of fish crows in the eastern United States, which give a short, nasal “uh-uh.” Neither has the deep, resonant quality of a raven.

Behavior and social life

American crows are very social. They live in family groups, forage in flocks and gather in huge winter roosts, often in towns; see Why do crows gather in huge flocks? Ravens usually live in pairs that defend large territories for life. Young, unpaired ravens wander in loose groups and gather at carcasses and communal roosts.

Both are omnivores and scavengers, but ravens are more tied to wild country and large carcasses, often following wolves to their kills. Crows thrive in farmland, suburbs and city parks. The two species are not friends: crows often mob ravens near their nests, since ravens take eggs and chicks.

Both are highly intelligent. Ravens have shown impressive planning skills in experiments, and crows can remember human faces for years. Read more in How smart are crows and ravens?

Where do they live?

The American crow lives only in North America, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and is especially common in farmland and towns. The common raven has one of the widest ranges of any songbird, across the whole Northern Hemisphere: North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa, from Arctic tundra to deserts and mountains.

In North America, ravens are widespread in the West, Canada and Alaska, and in the East mainly in the Appalachians, northern New England and the Great Lakes region. In the Southwest, the smaller Chihuahuan raven adds another look-alike.

Crows vs ravens in Europe

In Europe, there is no American crow. The everyday “crow” is the carrion crow (Corvus corone) in western Europe, including England, and the hooded crow (Corvus cornix), which has a gray body with black head, wings and tail, in Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia and eastern Europe. Both are 48–52 cm (19–20 in) long, about the size of an American crow, and the two hybridize where their ranges meet.

The rook, often seen in noisy colonies around farms, has a bare, grayish-white face at the base of the bill. Common ravens in Europe are most common in mountains, uplands and rocky coasts, though they have been spreading back into lowland areas, including in Britain.

Nesting, family life and lifespan

Both species build bulky stick nests, but in different places. American crows nearly always nest in trees, often high in an oak or conifer, and in towns they happily nest in parks and yards. Ravens prefer cliff ledges and tall trees in remote country, and increasingly use power pylons, bridges and buildings. A raven nest is larger, lined with soft material such as animal fur or wool.

Ravens start early, often laying eggs in late winter, from late January to March in much of their range. Crows usually begin a little later, from about March to April. The biggest difference is what happens after the young fledge: young ravens leave their parents within months and join wandering flocks, while young American crows often stay with their family for one to several years and help raise the next broods.

Ravens also generally live longer. Wild ravens typically live 10–15 years, and the oldest known wild bird reached 23 years and 3 months; ravens at the Tower of London have lived for more than 40 years. American crows live about 7–8 years on average in the wild, and the oldest banded wild crows have lived more than 14 years.