They’re ravens, not crows.
Though both inky black, ravens are roughly 50% larger than the relatives they’re often confused for. Ravens are beefy, more the size of hawks, with thick, curved bills. They soar. They’re more common in the western U.S., preferring wider, open spaces. Crows like the suburbs and city parks. Ravens mostly keep to themselves or small groups; crows routinely congregate by the hundreds.
Another big difference between ravens and crows comes from how humans perceive them.
“I’ve always been interested in mythology and ravens have phenomenal mythology in all cultures,” Joan Danziger told me in a phone interview. “I’m a Gemini and ravens are two different personalities. They are kind of messengers of hope, but they’re also scavengers. They have a very tricky personality. They’re tricksters, scavengers, they’re messengers. They have a broad range of pathology in every culture.”
Ravens have mystique.
Image Credit: Installation view of “Ravens: Spirits of the Sky” at American University Museum, open through May 17, 2026.
John Woo