Hi everyone, it's Liam here from a shot of wildlife and in this video I'm going to tell you almost everything you need to know about the Raven. Out of all the Crow family, the common Raven is probably the most well known. They're the largest member with a wingspan of 120 to 150cm and weighing from 800 to 1500 grams. That's 4 to 5 feet and 1.7 to 3.3 pounds. They're glossy black over their entire bodies and have large, powerful black beaks. They're extremely agrobatic in the air and when flying they display a diamond shaped tail. One bird was even recorded travelling for more than half a mile was flying upside down. Ravens are very intelligent and just like the other Covid I've made videos about, this means that they are very adaptable in where they can live and what they can eat. They're found all across the northern hemisphere including most of the North American continent, Europe, Russia and Asia. In the UK they're range extends from the north of Scotland to the south of England all the way to the west coast of Wales and across northern Ireland. They're also present in the east of England but only in small or be it gradually increasing numbers. Ravens can eke out a living in almost all habitats, from dense forests to open more lands, uplands or lowland areas and pretty much anything in between. The only habitat they don't seem to do too well in is densely populated urban areas. A ravenous diet is extensive and varies throughout the year. They'll happily feed on berries, fruits, grains, crops and carrion but they'll also prey on reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, fish and other species of birds including their chicks and eggs. Ravens don't start nesting until they're two to four years old but they can form nonbreeding relationships from their first year onwards. Once a pair is formed they'll claim a territory and defend it from all other ravens. Each pair will create a large bowl-shaped nest of sticks, twigs and roots bound together with mud and bark and then lined with softer materials such as feathers will and fur. This can be on a cliff edge in the fork of a tree or sometimes on buildings. From February onwards depending on the weather each female will lay between three and seven brown blotch blue coloured eggs. These measure just under five centimetres or two inches in length. The female incubates the eggs alone whilst the male stands guard for 18 to 21 days. At first the chicks are pink and they have their eyes closed. They're fed in the nest for around 40 days before they're ready to fledge but the parental duties do not end there. The young birds may stay with their parents for up to six months after fledging, learning the ways of the raven how to find food and survive. After this the young birds often form flocks with other unpaired youngsters and roam widely in search of resources before finally settling once they find mates and territories of their own. Ravens communicate with each other for a series of natural vocalisations but they have also been found to gesture to one another, pointing at objects with their beaks and picking up items in order to gain the attention of other birds. This makes them the first known non-primey animal to naturally use gesturing. They're also phenomenal mimics and used this to the advantage. They sometimes mimic wolves, foxes or vultures in order to get them to come to a dead animal if they themselves are unable to get to the meat inside. In captivity they also become great mimics of people, copying entire sentences and mechanical noises. Here is one of the common calls of a wild raven. Ravens are amazingly intelligent and have been shown to have abilities to problem solve that almost unparalleled in the animal kingdom. Whereas a lot of other animals can learn through trial and error, ravens have been shown to not only learn from one another but also to create solutions in their brains without trying things. This gives them a greater rate of success and waste less time in learning. Captive ravens have also been shown to have an understanding of a fair trade and would interact more with researchers who'd awarded them fairly in previous experiments. A flock of common ravens is known as an unkindness and they've been associated with a lot of mythology and religions. In Christianity it was a raven that was sent by Noah in order to find land. In the wild ravens have an average lifespan of 10 to 15 years with one wringred wild bird surviving to 22 years and seven months of age. In captivity they often survive for more than 40 years. Well there we go. If you enjoyed this video you're probably also like this British wildlife video and once you're finished enjoying that subscribe for more. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.