Little Raven
Encyclopedia
The Little Raven is a species of the crow and raven family Corvidae
, that is endemic to Australia
. It has all-black plumage, beak and legs with a white iris, as do the other Corvus members in Australia and some species from the islands to the north.
(C. coronoides) as a distinct species.
from southern South Australia
, Victoria
and New South Wales
. Also in Kangaroo Island
(S.A) and King Island (Bass Strait).
Living within scrub, agricultural areas, grazing pasture, woodlands to treeless plains, coasts, and suburbs.
Little Ravens are absent from west Gippsland
, where the land is dominated by Forest Raven
s
The nest is a thin cup of sticks with a layer of bark, grass and wool to create a thick mat. Nests are commonly low to the ground (under 10 meters), often in a forked branch in the outer canopy of a tree.
Juveniles have brown colored eyes until their 3rd year, their eye color changes to white.
Corvidae
Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs and nutcrackers. The common English names used are corvids or the crow family , and there are over 120 species...
, that is endemic to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It has all-black plumage, beak and legs with a white iris, as do the other Corvus members in Australia and some species from the islands to the north.
Taxonomy
Although the Little Raven was first named by Mathews in 1912, it was only in 1967 that there was consensus to separate it from the Australian RavenAustralian Raven
The Australian Raven is the largest Australian member of the genus Corvus and one of three Australian species commonly known as ravens. It is a more slender bird than the Common Raven of the Northern Hemisphere but is otherwise similar...
(C. coronoides) as a distinct species.
Description
Some of the differences, between the two species, are that the Little raven: on average a little smaller than the Australian Raven (48–50 cm in length), though sizes do overlap between both species; the beak is slightly smaller and more curved, calls are shorter and the throat bulges out less while calling. This bird is a somewhat more sociable species by comparison, often forming large flocks that roam freely over wide areas in search of food. The range of the Little raven does overlap the range of the Australian Raven, but the Australian Raven's range extends further.Distribution and habitat
The Little Raven ranges over southeastern AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from southern South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. Also in Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is Australia's third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Island. It is southwest of Adelaide at the entrance of Gulf St Vincent. Its closest point to the mainland is off Cape Jervis, on the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula in the state of South Australia. The island is long...
(S.A) and King Island (Bass Strait).
Living within scrub, agricultural areas, grazing pasture, woodlands to treeless plains, coasts, and suburbs.
Little Ravens are absent from west Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
, where the land is dominated by Forest Raven
Forest Raven
The Forest Raven is a large species of the crow genus native to south-eastern Australia and Tasmania.-Description:The Forest Raven is 50–52 cm in length with glossy black plumage and a white iris. It has a proportionately larger bill and shorter tail than the other mainland corvid species and...
s
Diet
Little Ravens tend to eat rather more vegetable matter than C. coronoides and to feed mainly on the ground, but is probably omnivorous to a similar extent to other Corvus species when opportunity arises.Nesting
Little Ravens often nest in a loose colony of up to fifteen pairs, with nests few meters apart. They have often been recorded as having several nests within the nesting territory of a single Australian Raven which, presumably due to different food preferences, does not seem to consider them a threat to its own food resources.The nest is a thin cup of sticks with a layer of bark, grass and wool to create a thick mat. Nests are commonly low to the ground (under 10 meters), often in a forked branch in the outer canopy of a tree.
Juveniles have brown colored eyes until their 3rd year, their eye color changes to white.
