Prolific across Australia in almost all habitats, the Raven is often called a crow. There are three species of raven in Australia, and two species of native crows. Ravens are generally bigger than crows, but other differences (e.g. range, calls) are more reliable for identifying which species is which.

There are three species of raven in Australia, and three crows. Ravens are generally bigger than crows, but other differences - e.g. range, calls - are more reliable for identifying which species is which.

It’s important to distinguish between the Australian Crow and the Australian Raven. There’s a saying that the Crow is all good, while the Raven is the opposite. Ornithologists point out that it’s easy to tell the difference: the Crow has white down on its neck, while the Raven’s down is dusky.

The difference between a raven and a crow, it’s pretty minimal. They’re very hard to tell apart. To be honest, really, it’s just the color of the down at the base of the feathers. It’s white in a crow and brown in a raven. So unless you actually catch one and blow on it, you’re not really going to know the difference.

Ravens are larger than crows. So they are longer, weigh more and have greater wingspan. When in flight their necks appear longer than that of a crow. The bill of a raven is also larger. Crows tend to fluff their feathers into a mane and when a raven fluffs up its breast it looks ragged.