Common Raven

birds · corvids · Northern Hemisphere · super smart

Biggest songbird ever. Common ravens are the heaviest passerine birds in the world, weighing up to 2 kilograms (about 4.4 pounds) and measuring 63 centimeters long. That makes them as heavy as a small dog and much bigger than most other songbirds.

Found almost everywhere. Common ravens live all across the Northern Hemisphere, from North America to Europe to Asia. They're the most widespread of all corvids, which is the family that includes crows, jays, and magpies.

Partners for life. Young ravens travel around in flocks, but when they grow up, they find a mate and stay together forever. Each pair claims their own territory and defends it from other ravens.

Long, long lives. While most wild ravens don't live super long, some have been recorded living more than 23 years in nature. That's a very long life for a wild bird.

Looks the same, genes differ. All common ravens are all-black with little difference in how they look, but scientists have found that ravens from different regions have major genetic differences in their DNA.