How big are ravens compared to crows?

Ravens are about three times heavier than carrion crows, weighing up to 1.5 kilograms with a wingspan reaching nearly five feet. When you see them side by side, the difference is startling — think expecting a labrador and meeting a small bear.

What's the easiest way to tell a raven from a crow when it's flying?

Look at the tail shape when it's spread — ravens have a wedge or diamond-shaped tail that comes to a point, while crow tails are rounded or straight across. Ravens also soar and glide like birds of prey, sometimes doing barrel rolls, whereas crows just fly like they're going somewhere.

Where am I most likely to see ravens in the UK?

Ravens prefer wild, remote places like mountains, moorland, and sea cliffs, especially above 400 metres. Crows are the ones you'll find everywhere in cities and towns, so if you're somewhere genuinely remote and dramatic, you're much more likely to spot a raven.

winging-it

The Raven Size Problem: When a Bird Is Twice as Large as You Expected

Ravens are genuinely enormous — closer to buzzard than crow — and the first time you see one at close range on a summit cairn, the scale is unsettling. Here's how to tell them apart from their smaller, more common cousins without relying on the call you probably won't hear clearly anyway.

24 July 20268 min read