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May
21
Written by:
ODNR Division of Wildlife
5/21/2008
On April 29, 2008, Aaron Boone – program manager for the Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas – shared the discovery of nesting common ravens in eastern Ohio with a Division of Wildlife videographer. The ravens seen in this video are the young that fledged from the Jefferson County nest in Fernwood State Forest earlier in April. Observers should be on the look out for other ravens in this region.
Common ravens had not nested in Ohio for more than 100 years. Large scale habitat changes such as loss of mature forests from development drove the large, glossy-feathered birds to wilder, less developed portions of their ranges. By 1900, ravens no longer could be found in the Buckeye State.
This fascinating member of the crow family has been reclaiming former breeding grounds in recent years, as forests in Ohio and elsewhere have expanded, becoming better raven habitat.
Here in Ohio, forested land has grown from 15 percent in 1940 to more than 30 percent today. Other long-absent species have found the state’s improving habitat a reason to come home, including bobcat and black bear.
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Size: Longer than a red-tailed hawk at 20-27 inches in length, features a 46-inch wingspan and can weigh up to 2.5 pounds.
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Nesting habits: High cliff wall or fork of a tall tree, 45 to 80 feet above the ground. Nests are built by both sexes and both adults feed the young (three to seven chicks, once a year).
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Food sources: These active scavengers are omnivorous, consuming small reptiles and amphibians, eggs, insects, rodents, other predators’ leftovers and even garbage.
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Did you know that …Common ravens are the largest of the songbirds, and considered to be one of the smartest of all birds?
Raven nest
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