Raven

Appearance

This is the largest representative of passerine birds: body length reaches 60–70 cm, wingspan 120–150 cm, weight 800–1600 g ^{[2] [3]} (according to other sources, up to 2000 g ^[4] ). Other characteristic features: a very massive, tall and sharp beak, and elongated feathers on the throat (the so-called "beard"). A bird flying high can be identified by longer and narrower wings in comparison with other crows, as well as by the wedge-shaped shape of the tail ^[2] . A soaring raven makes rarer flapping wings than its closest relatives ^[5] . Males are somewhat larger than females ^[3] .

In the color of the feather cover, gender differences are absent ^[3] . The coloring of the whole body is monophonic, like a black crow and a rook . The plumage of an adult is black with a metallic tint - bluish or purple above, and greenish below. In young, the plumage is matte black without shine ^[6] . The black coloring of the raven gives it a number of advantages in both cold and hot climates. Dark feathers absorb solar energy, reducing the temperature difference between them and the skin, which at low temperatures gives an energy advantage over other, similar in size, but light-colored birds. In a hot desert, a bird warmed during the day is very active in the early morning and late evening hours, specializing in catching twilight animals. Dark plumage also hides the bird well at dusk along roads and on garbage heaps ^[7] . Not only the plumage, but also the beak and legs of the raven are black. The iris is dark brown.

Voice

The raven’s voice is a loud, trumpet, laryngeal “crumble” or distinct “current” , as well as a well-known croak.

Behavioral Features

Raven is a wary bird. Able to move well on the ground. Before the flight, the raven makes several jumps. A flight is more like a flight of a bird of prey than a flight of other corvids . Raven is one of the few birds capable of performing maneuvers similar to aerobatic aerobatics : a guided barrel and a half barrel.

The bird has patience; if the wait before a decision can give more than any action, the raven will wait. His patience is calculated in minutes, allowing you to demonstrate this ability at the level of primates ^[8] .

Also, the raven has gestures with which it attracts the attention of relatives: for this, an object (any that can be found nearby) is taken in the beak and shown to other ravens. At first, the object attracts attention, but then contact is established with the signer himself. This tactic is similar to the actions of young children who are trying to attract attention ^[9] .

The degree of socialization of the raven is rather low: during the year, the birds generally stay in separate pairs, although in late autumn and winter they can combine with other birds of their species for overnight stay ^[10] .

Raven is a typical species of the genus Corvus , described by the Swedish physician and naturalist Karl Liney in his fundamental work System of Nature in 1758 ^[11] . Both the generic and species names are borrowed from bird names in ancient sources: the first from the Latin corvus ^{[12] [13] [14]} , the second from the ancient Greek κοραξ ^{[15] [16]} . The closest relatives of the bird are the desert brown-headed ( C. ruficollis ) and pied-pied ( C. albus ) crows, as well as the American white-necked crow .

Ornithologists distinguish from 8 ^{[17] [18]} to 11 ^[4] subspecies of a bird, however, despite the enormous distribution area, phenotypic differences between them are insignificant and are often explained by clinical (smooth geographical) variability, rather than genetic features ^[19] . In particular, the difference in body length in some cases corresponds to the Bergman rule : the cooler the climate, the larger the individuals living in it ^[19] . In addition to its overall size, variability also manifests itself in the proportion of the beak, the degree of development of elongated feathers on the throat, and the shades of plumage ^[17] .

On the other hand, a similar morphology does not always indicate genetic identity: in 2000, American molecular biologists, after studying bird tissue samples from different parts of the planet, identified a special “ California clade ” of the raven, in which the mitochondrial genome sequence is more than 4% different from a similar sequence in all other birds (they were attributed to another, the so-called " Holarctic treasure"). At the same time, the birds that live in the western United States are no different from the birds that live in the east and north of the country. Moreover, ravens from Minnesota , Maine and Alaska were significantly closer to the ravens of Eurasia than to the ravens of neighboring California ^[20] .

Hybrid forms with desert raven ( Corvus ruficollis ) are known.

Subspecies

The following list of subspecies is given according to Handbook of the Birds of the World (2008). It may differ in one or another classification system.

Range

Raven is common in almost the entire Holarctic , and in some places it penetrates into tropical latitudes. In northern Eurasia, it is absent only in Taimyr , Yamal, and Gydan , as well as on most islands of the Arctic Ocean ^[21] . In Greenland, it nests mainly along the south and west coasts to the north to ^[22] . The southern border of nesting in Asia passes through the mountainous and elevated regions of Syria , Iraq , Iran and Pakistan , northwestern and northern India ( Kach , Rajasthan , the southern foothills of the Himalayas ), China (Himalayas, Tibetan plateau , Big Khingan ) and Russian Primorye ( Sikhote -Alin ). In the dry deserts of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, the raven does not nest ^[17] . In Western and Central Europe, it previously nested almost everywhere, but now it has disappeared or is found sporadically in most of England , in the lowlands of France and Germany , the Netherlands , the Czech Republic , Slovakia and Hungary ^[23] . In North Africa, the range of this bird is limited to the Canary Islands , the coast from Morocco to Egypt and the Atlas Mountains ^{[17] [24]} .

In North America, a raven nests from Alaska and the islands of the Canadian Arctic archipelago south to Nicaragua , while it is absent in many central and eastern US states. Here it can be found only in areas bordering Canada with Minnesota , Wisconsin , Michigan and Maine , as well as in isolation in the Appalachian Mountains . The habitat has declined over the past few centuries: previously, the raven nested in the Adirondack Mountains , Allegany , New England , on the coast of New Jersey and Virginia ^[25] . In the area of ​​the Great Plains , where he also disappeared, the raven lived at the expense of the fallen bison and wolves , subsequently exterminated by man ^[26] .

As a rule, with a sufficient food supply, the raven remains faithful to its site ^[21] . Georgy Dementiev and Nikolai Gladkov in the multivolume “Birds of the Soviet Union” (1953) write that in winter many birds go on a nomadic way of life, straying in flocks of 10-12, and in some cases up to 40-70 birds ^[27] .

Habitats

Due to the high plasticity in the choice of habitats and forages, the raven can be found on a wide variety of landscapes from the Arctic coasts to alpine tundra and deserts . On the northern periphery of the range, it is more often concentrated on rocky sea coasts and in deep river valleys with shrubby vegetation. In the middle lane, the raven is a typical forest bird, and usually either adheres to light broad-leaved or coniferous forests, or selects open areas along the banks of reservoirs, on the outskirts of high bogs and wastelands . The bird avoids continuous dark coniferous taiga. In the south of the range, the bird settles in mountain landscapes, less often in island and floodplain forests in the middle of steppes and deserts. Typical biotopes in the Mojave Desert are sparse plantings of Yucca shortleaf ^{[21] [28] [4] [29] [30] [26]} . It is found in Tibet at an altitude of up to 5000 m, in the Himalayas up to 8200 m above sea level ^{[21] [31]} .

Compared to rooks , jackdaws , gray ravens and magpies, the raven is less associated with anthropogenic landscapes, although from time to time it settles in abandoned villages and on the outskirts of small settlements ^{[32] [4]} . Of the large cities, a crow can often be found only in Ulaanbaatar and in the park zone of California Los Angeles , San Diego , San Francisco and Riverside ^[4] . According to ornithologists A.S. Malchevsky and Yu. B. Pukinsky, in the second half of the 20th century there was a tendency to synanthropization of the raven in northwestern Russia: in particular, birds began to nest in the suburbs of St. Petersburg , where they had never been before. Usually aloof from a person, they have become less susceptible to attention on his part ^[29] . Cases of nesting in buildings have also been reported in such large cities as Moscow , Lviv , Bern , London and Chicago ^[33] .

Professor John Marzluff of the University of Washington suggests that the reason for the lack of ravens in cities is not so much concern as the lack of suitable habitats and the abundance of competitors, especially other corvivorous birds and gulls . The mass extermination of birds in previous years also played a role ^[4] . In winter, when a raven wanders in search of food, he often visits roadsides, fur farms, meat processing plants, landfills and outdoor recreation, where he feeds on food waste or carrion ^{[4] [21] [34]} . At the same time, the bird usually eschews the person and, when it appears, prefers to retire ^[35] .

Ration

Raven is well adapted to scattered and scarce sources of feed and eats almost anything edible that it can catch or detect ^[36] . Carrion is of key importance in the diet, primarily, rather large animals like a wolf or reindeer , which helps it survive in harsh climatic conditions ^[36] . On occasion, it feeds on snuff fish , dead frogs and rodents . At the same time, the bird also shows the features of a real hunter - it catches a variety of game the size of a hare or small ungulate , including rodents, birds, lizards , snakes ^{[21] [37]} . In the stomachs of ravens are found the remains of insects , scorpions , mollusks , earthworms , sea ​​urchins . A raven can ruin a bird's nest by eating eggs or chicks ^{[38] [39]} . Plant foods are as diverse as animals, although they occupy a smaller share in the total volume. As examples, the authors cite blueberries , seeds of poisonous oak ( Toxicodendron diversilobum ), wild oatmeal grains , and cactus fruits ^[36] .

American biologists have noticed that when food is plentiful, individuals can specialize in different types of feed: according to observations in Oregon , some of the nesting ravens in the neighborhood consumed plant foods more, others searched for carrion, and others focused on catching Belding ground squirrels ( Urocitellus beldingi ) and ferrets ^[36] . Raven willingly uses the fruits of human activity: follows reindeer shoulder straps, accumulates near livestock yards and slaughterhouses , in landfills, near waste bins and picnic tables. He readily eats anthropogenic debris, and a similar diet, according to observations in the western part of the Mojave Desert, leads to a more successful withdrawal of chicks ^[40] . In some cases, the raven contributes to the degradation of rare and protected species: the desert western gopher , the California condor , the long-billed fawn, and the pygmy tern ( Sterna antillarum ) ^{[40] [41] [42] [26]} .

Feed Extraction

In search of food, the raven is able to soar for a long time in the air, which distinguishes it from other corvids. Often follows herds of deer and wolves , accompanies nomads. On the ground, digging in heaps of plant debris, flipping chips, exploring mouse holes, making holes in soft soil, chasing rodents and other small game ^[43] . In the raven, the upper part of the beak is bent, but not as much as in the vultures specializing in carrion or the bald eagle . For this reason, it is less able to tear the thick skin of a large animal, and when it is detected, carrion is sometimes forced to wait until other predators do it ^[44] . Finding the prey first, young individuals with a loud cry can call mature birds before embarking on a meal. professor at the University of Vermont, believes that such adaptive behavior reduces territorial aggression and allows young animals to stay close to adults ^[45] . According to another version, the transmission of information contributes to the saturation of several birds in cases where the carcass is too large to saturate one ^[46] . Nevertheless, experiments with bait show that the size of prey does not affect the cooperative behavior of birds ^[47] . What is left after the meal, the raven hides in a secluded place, while acquiring new skills for preserving reserves, observing other birds ^[48] .

For food, the bird sometimes shows amazing resourcefulness, unusual for other bird species. For example, a raven is not inferior to a fox in the dexterity of obtaining goose eggs. Instead of hunting independently, he can patiently observe how the polar fox devastates another nest and hides surpluses, after which it quickly finds the reserves it has made ^[49] . Kleptoparasitism also manifests itself in a clear weaning of prey from predators, for example, from wolves ^[50] . Raven willingly enjoys the protection of public bird species, raising a cry in case of potential danger: in one observation, a pair of ravens joined a flock of starlings in a dump и воро́н. Всю группу намеренно и неоднократно вспугивали. Птицы скоро возвращались на прежнее место, при этом во́роны всегда прилетали в последнюю очередь. По мнению исследователей, это может свидетельствовать в пользу гипотезы, что таким образом птицы предохраняются от ядовитого корма ^[43] .

Половая зрелость наступает в конце второго или третьего года жизни. Пары сохраняются многие годы, возможно пожизненно: этому способствует привязанность ворона к определённой территории и отчасти даже к месту для гнезда. В одном случае биологи наблюдали, как птицы несколько лет подряд возвращались на один и тот же скалистый уступ даже в случае, если предыдущая кладка уничтожалась хищниками. Аналогичный результат был получен в ходе искусственного эксперимента, во время которого яйца или птенцы специально изымались ради проверки дальнейшего поведения птиц ^[10] . Хотя ворон считается типичной моногамной птицей, известны случаи полигинии: второй самец посещал гнездо самки во время отсутствия первого ^[46] . Соседние пары гнездятся на расстоянии не менее километра друг от друга ^[21] ; Марцлуфф определяет охраняемое расстояние от гнезда от одного до пяти километров ^[51] .

К размножению вороны приступают зимой, когда земля ещё покрыта снегом: на большей части территории во второй половине февраля ^[51] . В южной части ареала размножение может быть сдвинуто на более ранние сроки: например, в Туркменистане на первую декаду этого месяца ^[52] , в Пакистане даже на декабрь ^[31] . Напротив, в Гренландии, северной Сибири и высокогорном Тибете начало размножения сдвигается на середину апреля ^[51] . Спариванию предшествуют замысловатые брачные полёты: в воздухе вороны выполняют сложные манёвры, аналогичные авиационным фигурам пилотажа, в том числе частичную « бочку » ^[53] . Кроме токового полёта, самец ходит перед самкой с важным видом; Конрад Лоренц описывает его позу следующим образом: голова высоко поднята, кроющие ушей взъерошены, шея раздута, крылья слегка приподняты, перья на брюхе вытянуты вниз, хвост раскрыт веером ^[54] . Сложившуюся пару символизирует обоюдная чистка перьев ^[10] .

Гнездо строит на деревьях и скалистых уступах, а также на разнообразных сооружениях, которые своим положением и формой могут напоминать эти уступы: геодезических вышках , маяках , опорах линий электропередач ^[21] , колокольнях , под крышами высоких башен и зданий ^{[52] [55] [56]} и т. п. В случае дерева гнездо обычно расположено на высоте не менее 3—4 м от поверхности земли в развилке ствола, изредка в основании толстой боковой ветви ^{[55] [56]} , часто малозаметно со стороны ^[3] . Скалистый уступ чаще имеет вид ниши с каменной козырьком — расщелины или небольшой пещеры. Обе птицы добывают нужные для обустройства гнезда толстые сучья, траву и обрывки шерсти, но лишь самка занимается их укладкой. Готовая постройка, возведение которой занимает от одной до трёх недель, имеет достаточно добротный вид и внушительные размеры: диаметр 40—153 см и высоту 20—61 см. Глубина лотка 13—15 см ^[51] . Обычно пара строит не одно, а два или три гнезда в пределах гнездового участка, и использует их поочерёдно ^[3] .

Количество яиц в кладке варьирует от одного до восьми, в большинстве случаев от четырёх до шести ^[51] . Окраска как у серой вороны или грача : общий фон скорлупы голубовато-зелёный, поверхностные мелкие пятна серовато-зелёного или бурого цвета ^[55] . Размеры яиц (42—63)х(30—38) мм ^[3] . Насиживает в основном самка, самец приносит ей корм. Период инкубации 20—25 дней ^[51] . Птенцы гнездового типа , появляются на свет асинхронно, при вылуплении покрыты густым бурым пухом на голове и спине. Первые одну-две недели самка неотлучно находится в гнезде, согревая выводок; добычей корма занимается самец. В дальнейшем оба родителя выкармливают птенцов. В возрасте 4—7 недель последние начинают летать, однако ещё длительное время — от нескольких недель до нескольких месяцев — держатся возле родителей. Окончательный распад выводков происходит лишь в конце следующей зимы ^{[51] [35]} .

Продолжительность жизни ворона в дикой природе составляет 10—15 лет. В неволе эти птицы могут прожить значительно дольше. В лондонском Тауэре вороны жили на протяжении более 40 лет ^[57] . Известны случаи, когда особи в неволе доживали до 75 лет ^{[58] [59]} .

Во́рон считается одной из самых умных птиц ^[60] . Учёные подтвердили наличие у ворона интеллекта ^[61] . Когда учёные решили проверить, действительно ли ворон наделён интеллектом, птице давали пить воду из глубокого кувшина, которую он не мог достать клювом ^[61] . Испытуемый ворон додумался бросать в ёмкость различные предметы, чтобы уровень воды поднялся ^[61] . По словам руководителя эксперимента Алекса Тейлора, вороны способны различать объекты, которые держатся на плаву и которые тонут ^[61] . Во́роны выбрасывали резину и пластмассу из кувшина, когда видели, что уровень воды в кувшине не повышается ^[61] . Во́рон специально размачивает корку хлеба в луже и потом дробит её на части. При питье воды из лужи ворон склоняет и поворачивает голову таким образом, чтобы вода сама затекала в клюв, а не зачерпывает клювом воду, как большинство птиц.

Из-за своей элегантности, сообразительности и способности к подражанию, в том числе и голосу человека, могут содержаться в домашних условиях в качестве домашнего животного . Первые месяцы своей жизни птицы мягкие и послушные, приручить их нетрудно. Повзрослев, птицы не признают никого, кроме хозяина, который растил их с птенцового возраста, становятся крайне ревнивы: могут атаковать домочадцев хозяина, особенно детей; домашних животных ^[62] . У воронов высокие требования к условиям содержания: им нужен вольер, достаточно большой хотя бы для подлётов; из-за острого интеллекта птицам необходимы многочисленные и разнообразные игрушки. Стеснённые или скучающие вороны могут стать разрушителями: легко сдирают обои, портят мебель, книги, занавески, могут разбить оконное стекло или сломать владельцу клювом палец ^[63] . После года-двух птицы взрослеют и пытаются улететь от родителя, в данном случае человека. Взрослые птицы практически не поддаются приручению. Популярность воронов как домашних питомцев выросла с развитием готической молодёжной субкультуры , но описанные обстоятельства делают этих птиц неподходящими для хозяев с малым опытом работы с врановыми и без подходящих для них условий.

В столице Великобритании приручённые во́роны традиционно живут в Тауэре .

Ворон и война

Ворон — отчасти падальщик , и в древности на полях сражений всегда скапливались стаи птиц. Образовалась прочная культурная связь между птицей и военными действиями, которая в одних источниках олицетворяла воинскую доблесть, в других — посредническую роль между миром живых и миром мёртвых, в третьих — гибель героя ^{[64] [65]} .

В ирландской мифологии ворон ассоциируется с богиней войны Морриган , которая принимала обличье этой птицы — например, в легенде о Кухулине ( Cu Chulain ) ^[66] . Изображения птицы сохранились на монетах и доспехах, останки птиц находили в кельтских захоронениях в континентальной части Европы ^[66] . Тит Ливий в « Истории от основания города » описывает сражение римлян против галлов , во время которого на шлем трибуна Марка Валерия приземлился огромный ворон, принявшийся помогать уничтожать врагов; после сражения у воина закрепилось прозвище Корвинус ^[67] . В Ирландии XVII века ворон с белым пятном на крыле, летящий с правой стороны от наблюдателя и при этом каркающий, считался добрым знаком, предвещающим удачу ^[68] .

В германо-скандинавской мифологии ворон — почитаемая птица, изображение которой украшали знамёна кораблей викингов ^[69] . Неразлучные спутники верховного бога Одина — вороны Хугин и Мунин , олицетворяющие собой мысль и память. Согласно легенде, птицы днём собирают информацию со всего мира, а вечером садятся на плечи хозяина и нашёптывают ему на ухо всё, что видели и слышали ^{[70] [71]} . Древние германцы намеренно оставляли павших в бою непогребёнными, чтобы их плоть съели посланники бога — волки и вороны ^[72] .

Предвестник, прорицатель

Ancient people drew attention to the reaction of ravens and ravens to the impending weather change: before the storm, the birds showed obvious anxiety, with a characteristic cry darted from side to side. Probably, due to this behavior, the raven has gained a reputation as a petrel, a predictor of inclement weather or other, often tragic, events ^[73] . gives a translation of a manuscript of the 9th century found in Tibet , according to which a raven, an intermediary between gods and people, could make various sounds by making various sounds, including positive events, such as luck or the arrival of a friend ^[74] . Another document in Tibetan states that a bird sent by higher powers with its breath can cause a storm in the forest, warning residents about the passage of the gods ^[68] .

Attitude to the raven as a harbinger of evil events has developed in Western Europe , North Africa , Western , South and East Asia ^{[75] [76]} . In Europe, one of the earliest evidence of the relationship between the raven and man is a rock painting of the Stone Age in the Kamonika Valley, which depicts a bird turning to people ^[77] . In Andalusia, a one-time cry of a raven near the house was associated with the upcoming bad day, a three-time cry with the expectation of death. A raven sitting on a branch in his voice indicated the direction from which to wait for trouble ^[68] . Eleazar Meletinsky in Myths of the World’s Peoples points to other similar signs associated with the bird: its appearance on the left side of the house leads to adversity, during sowing - to crop failure, the meeting of two ravens in the air - to war. According to Plutarch , the birds' insistent attention to the Roman orator and philosopher Cicero foreshadowed his death ^[78] .

The image of the raven as an evil predictor and even the messenger of Satan can also be found in the Christian literature of the New Age , for example, in the "Maltese Jew" by Christopher Marlo and the Macbeth of William Shakespeare . In the latter, the raven predicts the imminent death of the protagonist:

In mythology

The image of the raven is widespread in mythological representations associated with various elements of the universe (the underworld, earth, water, sky, the sun).

Ravens eagerly feed on carrion , and therefore are often associated with death and borderline conditions. According to the Levi-Strauss hypothesis, this happens because carrion is perceived as not an animal, but not a plant food ^[80] .

• In the myths of the peoples of North Asia, where a large black bird is a rarity, the raven occupies a special position. In the traditions of Koryak and Itelmen it is stated that the raven Kuth laid the foundation for their family ^[81] . In Paleo-Asian and North American mythology, the raven Kuth acts as a mediator between the worlds and is endowed with shamanistic functions. For some peoples, he is the central character of folklore.
• In Greek and Roman mythology, the raven accompanies the gods: Kronos ( Saturn ), Apollo , Helios , Athena ; he is a symbol of good luck, the giver of light, God's messenger ^{[82] [75]} . Several sources - in particular, in Ovid's poem " Metamorphoses " - tell of a raven with a brilliant white plumage, which Apollo sent to watch over his beloved Coronida and their son Asclepius . Once a raven came to the sun-god with the news that he had seen his beloved in the arms of Ishii . Apollo angrily went to his wife and killed her with an arrow, but soon regretted his deed. A heartbroken god painted the raven black and speechless, leaving only a burry croaking ^{[83] [84]} .
• In the Old Testament, ravens brought food to the prophet Elijah in the wilderness (1 Kings 17: 4), and the color of the hair of King Solomon in the song is compared with the color of the raven’s wing (Songs 5:11).
• A proverb, known since ancient Rome, is Comix cornici nunquam confodit oculum (The raven will not peck out the crow's eye) ^[85] .
• Odin, the supreme god of Germanic-Scandinavian mythology, is accompanied by the ravens Khugin and Munin (“thinking” and “remembering”).
• In legends, crows usually fly to the places of bloodshed and peck out the eyes of the fallen soldiers.
• It is found in Russian folk tales as a character who abducts the sister or daughter of the main character. Often mentioned in Russian conspiracies as a messenger, a messenger of death, or, conversely, as able to stop bleeding or resurrect with living water ^[86] .
• In medieval Christian tradition, the raven becomes the personification of the forces of hell and the devil.
• In early Greek scientific works, and through them in Russian folklore, it was argued that the raven in July does not drink water because of Noah's curse: Noah cursed the crow for not returning to the ark, starting to peck his eyes from those floating on the water corpses ^[86] . This motive, obviously, goes back to the apocryphal versions of the biblical legend about the global flood.
• The folk ballad “ The Three Ravens ” and its derivative “Twa Corbies” talk about ravens discussing the possibility of eating the body of a dead rider, with a different outcome.

Raven and the Flood

The role of the raven and pigeon in saving humanity during the Flood , perhaps, has its roots in the tales of the Sumerians , which were reflected in one of the oldest sources of writing - the Epic of Gilgamesh ^[87] . Created in the III millennium BC. e. the cuneiform text of this work tells of Utnapishtim who escaped on the ship he built during a major flood. The wandering hero alternately let loose a dove, a swallow and a crow. Only the last of them found land and remained on it, while the other two returned to the ship ^{[88] [89]} . In a later flood story in Genesis, the sequence and semantic load of events changed: the raven that flew away first (the "unclean" bird, according to Jewish traditions) returned with nothing, but the "clean" dove from the second attempt brought the good news in the form of an olive branch but did not return to the third at all ( Genesis 8: 8-12 ). In Christianity, the opposition increased even more: the dove became the personification of the holy spirit and faith in general, and the raven became the fiend of hell, the embodiment of evil spirits ^[90] .

In Fiction

• In the tale of Hans Christian Andersen, “The Snow Queen, ” the raven and the crow serve at the king’s court.
• The poem by Edgar Alan Poe “ The Raven ” (Raven) is considered one of the most significant in the history of poetry.
• In Charles Dickens ’s historical novel , The Barney Raj.
• The story of Ivan Alekseevich Bunin "Raven".
• The book "Raven" by American writer George Dawes Green .
• Charles De Lint's book, Abandoned Heaven, tells of raven girls.
• In a series of books by George Martin, “ A Song of Ice and Fire, ” ravens were used for communication between cities as mail birds.

In music

• Cossack Russian folk song "Black Raven" .
• The song "Black Raven" by Hi-Fi .
• The song "Raven" of the Russian group "Aria".
• Song "Yellow raven" by the German English-speaking rock band Scorpions .
• The song "Raven Of Dispersion" from the Vovin album of the Swedish symphonic metal band Therion .
• The song "Ravenheart" by the German English-speaking gothic metal band Xandria .
• The song "Raven claws" by the Portuguese gothic metal band Moonspell.

In honor of the raven, German folk rock band Corvus Corax was named.

In the movie

• 1959 - in the cartoon Walt Disney Productions Sleeping Beauty , the raven Diabolos was the assistant to the evil sorceress Maleficent .
• 2010 - in the cartoon “ Three Heroes and the Shamakhan Queen ”, the shamakhan queen had a servant of the raven.

In games

• There is a developer of computer games Raven Software , whose logo is a raven.
• In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000, Corvus Corax is the name of the primarch of the Raven Guard legion.

Raven in Heraldry

In heraldry, raven is a symbol of forethought and longevity.

• Boreyko, V.E .; Grishchenko, V. N. Ecological traditions, beliefs, religious views of Slavic and other peoples. - Kiev Ecological and Cultural Center (Kiev); Wildlife Conservation Center (Moscow), 1999. - T. 2. Birds. - 172 p. - ISBN 966-95302-5-3 .
• Braginsky, I. (Ed.). Literature of Babylonia. Table XI // Poetry and prose of the Ancient East . - M .: Fiction, 1973.
• Gladkov, N.A .; Dementiev, G.P .; Ptushenko, E. S .; Sudilovskaya, A. M. Identifier of birds of the USSR. - Higher school, 1964. - 536 p.
• Dementiev, G.P .; Gladkov, N.A. Birds of the Soviet Union. - Soviet science, 1953. - V. 5. - 803 p.
• Ermanovskaya, A.E. Riddles of history. Ancient world. - Folio, 2007 .-- 384 p. - ISBN 978-966-03-3743-5 .
• Zhukov, V.S. Birds of the forest-steppe of Central Siberia. - Novosibirsk: Nauka, 2006 .-- 492 p. - ISBN 5–02–032509–0.
• Zayanchkovsky, I.F. Talking birds. - Ufa: Bashkir book publishing house, 1981. - 152 p.
• Koblik, E. A. Variety of birds (based on materials from the exposition of the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University). - Ed. Moscow State University, 2001. - T. Ch. 4 (Detachment Passeriformes - continued). - 380 s. - ISBN 5-211-04072-4 .
• Kovshar, A.F. (Ed. Ed.). Birds of Kazakhstan. - Alma-Ata: Science, 1974. - Vol. V. - 479 p.
• Malchevsky A. S .; Pukinsky Yu. B. Birds of the Leningrad Region and adjacent territories. - L .: Leningrad University Press, 1983.
• Matveev K.P .; Sazonov A.A. Epic of Gilgamesh and its connection with the Bible // Land of the Ancient Mesopotamia. Myths, legends, finds and discoveries . - M .: Young Guard, 1986. - 160 p.
• Meletinsky, E. M. Structural-typological analysis of the myths of the northeastern Paleo-Asians (Voronoi cycle) // Typological studies on folklore. Collection of articles in memory of Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp (1895-1970) . - M .: Science, 1975.
• Meletinsky, E. M. Voron // Myths of the World / Ed. Tokareva, S. A. - Electronic publication. - Soviet Encyclopedia, 2008.
• Mikheev, A.V. Key to bird nests. - M .: Education, 1975 .-- 171 p.
• Plutarch. Comparative biographies in two volumes . - M .: Nauka, 1994 .-- T. II. - Translation by S.P. Markish .
• Publius Ovid Nason. Love elegy. Metamorphoses. Mournful elegy. - M .: Fiction, 1983. - Translation from Latin by S.V.Shervinsky.
• Ryabitsev V.K. Birds of the Urals, Cisurals and Western Siberia: A guide-determinant. - Ekaterinburg: Publishing House of the Ural University, 2001. - 608 p. - ISBN 5-7525-0825-8 .
• Stepanyan L. S. Synopsis of the ornithological fauna of Russia and adjacent territories. - M .: Academic book, 2003 .-- 808 p. - ISBN 5-94628-093-7 .
• Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. - FTM, 2016. - Translation from English by B. L. Pasternak. - ISBN 978-5-4467-0464-4 .
• Avery, Michael L .; Pavelka, Mark A .; Bergman, David L .; Decker, David G .; Knittle, C. Edward; Linz, George M. Aversive Conditioning to Reduce Raven Predation on California Least Tern Eggs // Colonial Waterbirds. - 1995. - Vol. 18, no. 2. - P. 131-138. - DOI : 10.2307 / 1521474 .
• Ali, Sálim .; Ripley, S. Dillon. Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan: Together with Those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. - Oxford University Press, 1987. - Vol. 5: Larks to the Gray Hypocolius. - 298 p. - ISBN 978-0195618570 .
• Boertmann, David. An Annotated Checklist to the Birds of Greenland. - Museum Tusculanum Press, 1994 .-- 63 p. - ISBN 978-8763512251 .
• Careau, Vincent; Lecomte, Nicolas; Giroux, Jean-François; Berteaux, Dominique. Common ravens raid arctic fox food caches // Journal of Ethology. - 2007. - Vol. 25, no. 1. - P. 79-82. - DOI : 10.1007 / s10164-006-0193-7 .
• Chaney, William A. The cult of kingship in Anglo-Saxon England ;: The transition from paganism to Christianity. - Manchester University Press, 1970 .-- 276 p. - ISBN 978-0719003721 .
• Clements, JF The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World. - 6th edition. - Christopher Helm, 2007 .-- 864 p. - ISBN 978-0713686951 .
• Daimler, Morgan. Pagan Portals - The Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens. - Moon Books, 2014 .-- 92 p. - ISBN 978-1782798330 .
• Daniels, Cora Linn; Stevans, CM (Eds.). Encyclopædia of Superstitions, Folklore, and the Occult Sciences of the World. - University Press of the Pacific, 2003. - T. 2. - 668 p. - ISBN 978-1410209153 .
• dos Anjos, L. Family Corvidae (Crows) / del Hoyo, J .; Elliott, A .; Christie, D. (eds.). - Lynx Edicions, 2008 .-- Vol. 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. - 879 p. - ISBN 978-8496553507 .
• Feldman, Chris R .; Omland, Kevin E. Phylogenetics of the common raven complex (Corvus: Corvidae) and the utility of ND4, COI and intron 7 of the β-fibrinogen gene in avian molecular systematics // Aoologica Scripta. - 2005. - Vol. 34. - S. 145-156. - DOI : 10.1111 / j.1463-6409.2005.00182.x .
• Gaston, AJ; Elliot, RD Predation by Ravens Corvus corax on Brunnich's Guillemot Uria lomvia eggs and chicks and its possible impact on breeding site selection // Ibis. - 1996. - Vol. 138, no. 4. - P. 742-748. - DOI : 10.1111 / j.1474-919X.1996.tb08831.x .
• Goodwin, Derek. Crows of the world. - St Lucia, Queensland: Queensland University Press, 1983.- 354 p. - ISBN 0-7022-1015-3 .
• Grundy, Stephan. The Cult of Ódinn: God of Death ?. - The Troth, Inc, 2014 .-- 272 p. - ISBN 978-1941136003 .
• Heinrich, Bernd. Winter foraging at carcasses by three sympatric corvids, with emphasis on recruitment by the raven, Corvus corax // Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. - 1988. - Vol. 23, no. 3 .-- P. 141-156. - DOI : 10.1007 / BF00300349 .
• Heinrich, Bernd. Ravens in Winter. - Summit Books, 1989 .-- 379 p. - ISBN 978-0671678098 .
• Heinrich, Bernd. Mind of the Raven. - Cliff Street Books, 1999 .-- 380 p. - ISBN 978-0060930639 .
• Jobling, James A. A Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. - United States: Oxford University Press, 1992. - ISBN 0198546343 .
• Jobling, James A. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. - London: Helm, 2009 .-- 432 p. - ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4 .
• Kaiser, Birgit Mara (Ed.). Singularity and Transnational Poetics. - Routledge, 2014 .-- 210 p. - ISBN 978-1138775787 .
• Knight, Richard L .; Call, Mayo W. The common raven . - US Department of the Interior - Bureau of Land Management, 1980. - Technical Note # 344.
• Kristan, William B., III; Boarman, William I .; Crayon, John J. Diet composition of common ravens across the urban-wildland interface of the West Mojave Desert // Wildlife Society Bulletin. - 2004. - Vol. 32. - S. 244-253. - DOI : 10.2193 / 0091-7648 (2004) 32 [244: DCOCRA] 2.0.CO; 2 .
• Laufer, Berthold. Bird Divination among the Tibetans (Notes on Document Pelliot No. 3530, with a Study of Tibetan Phonology of the Ninth Century) // T'oung Pao. - 1914. - Vol. 15, no. 1. - P. 1-110.
• Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (Eds). Greek-English Lexicon (Greek and English Edition). - Oxford University Press, 1980. - 804 p. - ISBN 978-0199102075 .
• Linnaeus, Carl. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio Decima, Reformata . - Stockholm: Lars Salvius, 1758.
• Lorenz, Konrad. Studies in Animal and Human Behavior. - Harvard University Press, 1970. - T. 1. - 423 p. - ISBN 978-0674846302 .
• Madge, Steve; Burn, Hilary. Crows and Jays: A Guide to the Crows, Jays and Magpies of the World. - Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd, 1994 .-- 216 p. - ISBN 978-0713639995 .
• Martin, Richard P. Myths of the Ancient Greeks. - New American Library, 2003 .-- 346 p. - ISBN 978-0451206855 .
• Marzluff, JM Common Raven ( Corvus corax ) / del Hoyo, J .; Elliott, A .; Christie, D. (eds.). - Lynx Edicions, 2008 .-- Vol. 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. - 879 p. - ISBN 978-8496553507 .
• Morrison, Lesley. The Healing Wisdom of Birds: An Everyday Guide to Their Spiritual Songs & Symbolism. - Llewellyn Publications, 2011 .-- 240 p. - ISBN 978-0738718828 .
• Nelson, AL Some early summer food preferences of the American Raven in southeastern Oregon // The Condor. — 1934. — Vol. 36, no. 1. — P. 10—15. — DOI : 10.2307/1363515 .
• Omland, Kevin E.; Tarr, Cheryl L.; Boarman, William I.; Marzluff, John M.; Fleischer, Robert C. Cryptic genetic variation and paraphyly in ravens // Proceedings of Biology Science. — 2000. — Vol. 267, no. 1461. — С. 2475—2482. — DOI : 10.1098/rspb.2000.1308 .
• Ratcliffe, Derek. The Raven. — A & C Black, 1997. — 352 p. — ISBN 978-0-8566-1090-5 .
• Savage, Candace. Bird Brains: The Intelligence of Crows, Ravens, Magpies and Jays. — Douglas & McIntyre, 1995. — 144 p. — ISBN 978-1550541892 .
• Simpson, DP Cassell's Latin Dictionary. — 5th. — London, United Kingdom : Cassell, 1979. — ISBN 0-304-52257-0 .
• Snyder, Noel FR; Ramey, Rob R.; Sibley, Fred C. Nest-site Biology of the California Condor // The Condor. - 1986. - Vol. 88, no. 2. — С. 228—241. — DOI : 10.2307/1368920 .
• Stahler, Daniel; Heinrich, Bernd; Smith, Douglas. Common ravens, Corvus corax , preferentially associate with grey wolves, Canis lupus , as a foraging strategy in winter // Animal Behaviour. — 2002. — Vol. 64, no. 2. — P. 283—290. — DOI : 10.1006/anbe.2002.3047 .
• Tate, Peter. Flights of Fancy: Birds in Myth, Legend, and Superstition. — Delacorte Press, 2008. — 180 p. — ISBN 978-0385342483 .
• Zawadzka, Dorota; Zawadzki, Grzegorz. Synanthropisation and synurbisation of Raven Corvus corax in Poland: a review // International Studies on Sparrows. — 2014. — Vol. 38. — P. 11—16.
• Roger Tory Peterson, Virginia Marie Peterson. A Field Guide to Feeder Birds: Eastern and Central North America .- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000.- Стр 88
• Thomas Claverhill Jerdon. The birds of India . — Printed for the Author by the Military Orphan Press, 1863. — P. 293
• John Ramsay MacKinnon,Karen Phillipps,Fen-qi He. A field guide to the birds of China . — Oxford University Press, 2000. — P. 273

• Ворон // Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона : в 86 т. (82 т. и 4 доп.). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Позвоночные животные России: Ворон
• Вороны. Статья на «Мире животных».