The Northern Raven (Corvus corax) is the world's largest passerine and one of Sweden's most impressive birds — entirely coal-black with a powerful bill and a wedge-shaped tail that is unmistakable in flight, its deep, rolling call among the most characteristic sounds of the wilderness and the mountains. It measures 58–69 cm, has a wingspan of roughly 120–150 cm and weighs 0.8–1.5 kg, with a glossy black plumage showing a blue or purple sheen and long, shaggy "beard feathers" at the throat. The best flight mark is the diamond-shaped, wedged tail, which distinguishes it from the straight-edged tail of the Crow; the Raven's flight is relaxed, and it readily glides and performs acrobatic turns.
Its most common call is a deep, rolling "kroak" or "korp-korp" that carries far across the landscape, though its repertoire is far larger, including clicking, knocking and almost bell-like tones, and Ravens can also mimic other sounds. Known for high intelligence and complex social behaviour, the species has one of the widest distributions of any bird in the world, occurring across most of the northern hemisphere, and in Sweden it is found from southernmost Skåne to the mountains, with a population of 30,000–50,000 pairs that has been increasing after historical persecution. It breeds very early, laying eggs already in February–March, in a large stick nest placed high in an old pine, on a cliff ledge or even in a power-line pylon; the female lays 4–6 eggs and incubates them for about three weeks while the male provisions her, and the early timing lets the young exploit carrion left by winter's animal losses. A pronounced omnivore, the Raven feeds on carrion, small rodents and other small animals, eggs and chicks, insects, berries, seeds and refuse, playing an important role as a scavenger and often gathering at larger carcasses.
Read about this species in Swedish →