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Common Raven
Corvus corax
The Common Raven (Corvus corax) ranges over the western United States and pretty much all of Canada and much of Mexico south to Central America. It also occurs in the Old World. This species is one of the most adaptable of all the birds in the western hemisphere as far as its habitat and food. It ranges from the tundra of Alaska and northern Canada south into the Sonora and Chihuahuan Deserts. It seems able to handle temperatures of 40 degrees F. below zero to 120 degrees F. in the desert. All in all, a remarkable bird. It eats anything from fruits, seeds, small reptiles and amphibians to small mammals or will feed readily on carrion. The bird in the top two photos was along a roadside near Marfa, Presidio Co., Texas, in September, 2005. There was a road kill rabbit nearby and the bird would tear a piece of flesh from the carcass and go to the nearby fence to call and eat its meal. These shots were taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and EF 600mm F/4 L IS lens.
The shot at right shows a Common Raven in flight against a background of evergreen forest, high in the Colorado Rockies. This shot was taken a long time ago, in August, 1981, but I have always liked the shot so since this is my web site I'm going to put it up! It was probably taken with an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic and a Vivitar 400mm F/5.6 lens.
This Common Raven was in Anchorage, Alaska, in June, 2012.