Raven

Corvus corax

Among the largest living songbirds today

Numbers

it has the largest brain relative to body size among all birds, showing astonishing reasoning abilities.
in string-pulling tests four out of five ravens looped the cord around their perch to reach the meat.
it digs fake hiding spots filled with stones to fool other ravens that watched it store leftover food.
it uses calls to guide wolves and coyotes to carcasses so they can rip open the tough hide.
researchers have sorted its wide variety of vocalizations into anywhere between fifteen and thirty-four distinct categories.
it carries hard-shelled snails and clams high into the air and drops them onto rocks to smash them open.
if a predator approaches the nest, raven parents may attack it with their beaks or drop stones from above.
young ravens have been seen sliding down snowbanks for fun and playing games of tag with hungry foxes.
the female incubates eggs for three weeks without leaving the nest, fed regurgitated food by her mate.
ravens have been spotted at altitudes of 20,800 feet on Mount Everest, avoiding only tropical rainforest habitats.

Five questions about this animal. Pick an answer and find out if it is the right one.

Question 1 of 5

What sets the raven's brain apart?

Question 2 of 5

Why does the raven dig fake caches filled with stones?

Question 3 of 5

In the string-pulling test, how many ravens out of five solved the puzzle?

Question 4 of 5

How long does a raven live at most in the wild?

Question 5 of 5

Which habitat does the raven avoid?

Experiment 1

Tie a string to a toy and hang it out of reach. Try pulling the string up step by step to retrieve it like the raven did.

Experiment 2

Hide ten coins in your room while a friend watches, then try again secretly. You will see why the raven creates fake food caches.

Experiment 3

Record ten different sounds on a phone and try to mimic them using your voice. A raven can produce at least fifteen distinct vocal sound types.