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by BugsJustFindMe 1551 days ago
You're doing it too. "bigger", "more curved", "higher sound". All of those are comparative. None of them help you know a raven or a crow except in relation to some idealized specimen of the other, which one likely doesn't have in front of them.
2 comments
aprinsen 1551 days ago
I'll take the bait. Ravens' beaks are hooked s.t. the top curves slightly around the bottom, an over beak if you will. The crow's beak is roughly conical and does not hook in this manner.

Additionally the raven's beak is is longer than it's head is wide (in profile). A crow's beak from the same view is approximately the same length as it's head.

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BugsJustFindMe 1551 days ago
> Ravens' beaks are hooked

This one sounds pretty good. Thanks (finally)! From a cursory search on the subject, it seems like one might need to be relatively close to be able to tell?

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aprinsen 1549 days ago
Maybe. A challenge in birding is getting close enough to look at things without scaring them away. The thing about both crows and ravens is they are (relatively) unafraid of humans. So, you shouldn't struggle much to get a good enough look to differentiate.

That's assuming Ravens are present in your area. One of the first things the guide books teach is to differentiate based on range. E.g. a candidate crow/Raven in Iowa is most likely a crow, since Ravens' range doesn't include the great plains.

Let me finish by plugging birding as a relaxing pastime that doesn't require much investment (just a $25 guide book for your area), and can really enhance any time spent out doors.

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DarknessFalls 1551 days ago
How could you tell apart an adolescent raven from a crow that had injured its beak, though? Each of you is making something relative to something else. The beaks are hooked. How hooked? Conical as opposed to what?
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hetspookjee 1550 days ago
Well bigger in the sense that’s it’s easy to have the feeling of awe when looking at a black bird. If in awe it’s probably a raven.
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BugsJustFindMe 1550 days ago
"Feeling of awe" is an assessment of you, not the bird. I feel awe from sparrows, and there are some absolutely gorgeous black chickens out there.
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