The Largest ‘Song’bird

Have you figured out the largest songbird from the clues? If you guessed ‘crow’, you’re very close. The correct answer is ‘raven’. The poem is Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”. Despite being unable to sing a tune, ravens qualify as ‘song’birds because of their vocal anatomy. In some ways, ravens remind me of James Bond: intelligent, handsome in formal black, possessors of facial recognition skills, solving puzzles / mysteries.  If the raven had access to ‘Q’, it would make great use of all those cool tools! Ravens even participated in a historic rescue mission. Do ravens remind you of James Bond? Read on and let me know!

Description
Ravens are majestic birds. Think James Bond dressed in all-black. Green and purple iridescent feathers add bling to the black. Ravens range in weight from one to three-and-a-half pounds. (That’s a pound of butter to a half gallon of milk.) Standing a little more than two feet tall, their wingspans reach nearly four feet. Those wings are capable of aerial acrobatics from rolls to somersaults to flying upside-down. One source suggests that ravens fly 30-40 miles a day; another 60-75 miles a day. Either way, that’s a long way to fly! Ravens are truly stunning birds.

Diet
Ravens are indiscriminate eaters. Being omnivores, they eat most anything: insects, small mammals, frogs, birds, eggs, carrion. A study in Wyoming discovered that during hunting season, a gunshot draws ravens in to investigate a presumed carcass. It’s quite easy to suit a raven’s tastebuds. Check out this savvy raven raiding a locked garbage can topped with a rock!

Personality

Ravens are very social creatures. During cooperative hunts, they can take down much larger animals. They can also be very bold. Ravens have been known to tug on the tail feathers of eagles to distract them from a carcass. Ravens are playful. The youngsters will drop sticks and dive to catch them. Friendships are maintained within the flock.  They remember the preferences of other birds. With strong facial recognition skills, they remember faces that are kind as well as those who have done them wrong. Yes, they hold grudges. This short video shows a raven stealing a cat’s food and feeding the dog. Evidently this raven likes the dog and despises the cat.

Communication
Ravens (against all common sense) are considered ‘song’birds. They make a variety of sounds, from a low, croak to grating sounds and shrill alarm calls. Clacking sounds also come from their beak. If they must be connected to song, ravens might work in the sound effects of the percussion section. Amazingly, they can learn new sounds throughout their lives from human words to wolves’ howls to bells ringing. Mischief, the raven, is a talking bird. Say, “Hi” to Mischief and he’ll answer.

Intelligence
Ravens are among the most intelligent birds and animals. One recent study claims that by four months old, ravens have full-blown cognitive skills and before reaching full maturity they can rival adult great apes. Another indicates that problem-solving crows perform similarly to children under seven years of age. (Source BBC Earth: Are Ravens as Smart, or Smarter Than Us) They plan for the future, use tools, and problem solve. Watch Bran, the raven, solve a new seven-stage puzzle:

Ravens to the Rescue
No matter what you believe about the Bible, there’s a great plot involving ravens in the original testament. Ravens played a crucial role in keeping the prophet, Elijah, alive. The setting of the story is important. King Ahab ruled Israel beside his wife, Jezebel, during Elijah’s life. Their government sponsored worship of Baal and Asherah, the male and female gods of fertility. (Baal was also the storm god.) Both idols were worshipped through perverse sexual ritual prostitution. In that day, a child was killed to dedicate the walls of Jericho; another to dedicate the gate. (I Kings 16:34) Gruesome! Worship of the true God had nearly ceased. It’s in this cultural context that Elijah, the prophet of God, entered the throne room of Ahab and Jezebel with very bad news:

“As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew
nor rain these years, except by my word.” I Kings 17:1 (ESV)

Picture entering the presence of Sadam Hussein and saying something like this. Elijah is dead meat on a hook! However, “[Elijah] stood in the presence of Ahab, but he was conscious of the presence of someone greater than any earthly king.” (David Guzik devotional) His statement was a direct challenge to Baal, the government-sponsored storm god. Lack of rain would decimate the agrarian society of Israel. No drinking water. No crops. No grass-eating stock. Elijah had chutzpah because he knew the power of His God.

The Lord immediately sent Elijah into hiding. He travelled across the Jordan to a ravine with a brook. Ravens delivered bread and meat to him in the morning and evening. Imagine the wonder of that! It was the first drone delivery service! After quite some time, the brook dried up. The ravens delivered food until Elijah was sent to Zarephath in another country. That’s how ravens rescued Elijah. The rest of Elijah’s story is also a cliffhanger. Read on in I Kings 17-20.

Conclusion

Yes, indeed, ravens are the “bird versions” of James Bond. They:

• Look great in all black
• Have a high IQ
• Use tools
• Problem Solve
• Speak other languages
• Go on missions

I rest my case.

Take a peek at my photography of the littlest song birds. (The largest song birds do not grace our backyard.) AzarÉl Greetings creates little bird-sized scenes. The small songbirds come to ‘play’ and find the food. I trade food for photos and every-birdy’s happy! You’ve never seen anything like this before!
Smiles!