Common Raven

This common vocalization likely communicates many messages. Certainly it announces the bird’s presence, which can function to identify it to a mate or neighbor, defend territory from a passerby, or coordinate actions among the pair.

Usually given by a bird backing away from conflict with a dominant raven. As a dominant moves close to a subordinate the subordinate may cower, fluff its head feathers, turn and look away, and growl.

In Maine this vocalization was only given by territorial females as they chased intruding nonbreeders from their territory.

Female ravens utter knock vocalizations of varying length when aggressive or excited. Typically, the female puffs up her head feathers and knocks as she chases intruders from the territory. Rapid, vigorous flights of one bird knocking as she chases another are common around nesting areas and food sources within the knocking bird’s territory. The number of knocks in a sequence may indicate motivation, though that has not been investigated rigorously.

Like a kaw the quork is given by territorial birds of either sex in defense of territory, and perhaps to communicate and coordinate their presence to their mate. Quorks may be given from stationary perches, or during territorial flights where the calling bird tucks a wing, barrel-rolls to its back and utters two quorks in rapid succession.

As nestlings grow they utter begging calls when hungry and especially when their parents are in sight. These begin as quiet calls, develop into harsher easily audible calls (as presented here), and finally transition into loud “yells” used to communicate hunger throughout a raven’s early years.

Male and female territorial ravens use many calls to advertise ownership of their breeding, roosting, and nearby foraging grounds. All such calls are loud, easily localized, and seem designed to sound imposing and from a bird of large size. John and Colleen recorded this version of territorial defense in Maine.

Just before attacking a rival, a nonterritorial bird utters a trill. Sounding more like a crane than a corvid, the trilling bird signals that it is ready to fight. If the object of the trill does not back down, the trilling bird lunges as it attempts to grab the bird that has angered it and repeatedly strike it with harsh blows from its sharp and long beak.

As a raven is struck or nearly struck by another raven defending food or territory, it utters a sharp yack. As one listens to a foraging group of ravens, yacks are often heard as birds tussle for position around the food. Also, the sounds of knocking, trilling, and begging by free-ranging young ravens are often followed by a yack from the bird being chased or threatened.

Older nestlings, non-breeders of nearly any age, and paired females during the early stages of the breeding season (nest building through incubation) yell when hungry. The sight of unobtainable food to a hungry raven stimulates strong yells. The motivation for yelling is obviously hunger, but the ultimate reason that hungry birds yell may be to attract others to foods that more powerful territory holders defend.  In so doing, the defensive behavior of territorial birds subsides as the many nonbreeders cannot be efficiently excluded from eating.

Paired ravens often vocalize in synchrony as they preen each other, defend territory, or coordinate actions. As females are smaller than their mates, the voice of the male is deeper than that of the female.