Raven
A raven is one of several larger-bodied species of the genus Corvus. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus.
There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", and these appellations have been assigned to different species chiefly on the basis of their size, crows generally being smaller than ravens. In Europe, the word "crow" is used to refer to the carrion crow or the hooded crow, while in North America it is used for the American crow, fish crow, or the northwestern crow.
The largest raven species are the common raven and the thick-billed raven.
Etymology
The term "raven" originally referred to the common raven, the type species of the genus Corvus, which has a larger distribution than any other species of Corvus, ranging over much of the Northern Hemisphere.
The modern English word raven has cognates in all other Germanic languages, including Old Norse (and subsequently modern Icelandic) hrafn[1] and Old High German (h)raban,[2] all of which descend from Proto-Germanic *hrabanaz.[3]
Obsolete collective nouns for a group of ravens (or at least the common raven) include "unkindness"[4] and "conspiracy".[5] In practice, most people use the more generic "flock".
Species
- Corvus albicollis – white-necked raven
- Corvus corax – common raven
- Corvus coronoides – Australian raven
- Corvus crassirostris – thick-billed raven
- Corvus cryptoleucus – Chihuahuan raven
- Corvus mellori – little raven
- Corvus rhipidurus – fan-tailed raven
- Corvus ruficollis – brown-necked raven
- Corvus tasmanicus – forest raven
Extinct species
- †Corvus moriorum – Chatham raven
- †Corvus antipodum – New Zealand raven
- †Corvus corax varius morpha leucophaeus – pied raven
See also
References
- ↑ Oxford English Dictionary entry for "raven."
- ↑ Simpson, J.; Weiner, E., eds. (1989). "Raven". Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-861186-2.
- ↑ "Raven". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2007-05-14.
- ↑ "Baltimore Bird Club. Group Name for Birds: A Partial List". Retrieved 2007-06-03.
- ↑ "University of California Golf Club. List of Collective Nouns". Retrieved 2008-07-16.
External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: Ravens |
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Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Raven. |
- Raven videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- North American ravens on eNature