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Nature featuresYou are in: Oxford > Nature > Nature features > How to Spot a Raven...  Raven How to Spot a Raven...Your handy guide to ravens in Oxfordshire. Raven FactsRavens are one of the most intelligent birds in the world. They’ve been spotted pulling fishing lines out of lakes to steal the fisherman’s catch. They can mimic human voices. In Germany and Sweden, people believed ravens were the ghosts of dead and murdered people. The raven features heavily in North American mythology and has been credited with creating the world, turning into humans and causing the spark which appears when stones are cracked together. Norse god Odin had a pair which were his eyes and ears. They can fly upside-down during courting displays. The collective noun for ravens is an "unkindness" Ravens are 'neophobic' - they do not like new things or people. A few years ago the only place you might see a raven would be at the Tower of London, in the mountains of Wales and remote areas of Cumbria. The bird was almost annihilated by game keepers who believed they killed livestock. The last breeding pairs in Oxfordshire were destroyed by the end of the nineteenth century. Today they can be seen across Oxfordshire with several breeding pairs making the county their home and, like the Red Kite, the Raven is one of the great conservation success stories. But, unlike the kite, the raven has found its way back to Oxon naturally, and has been reintroduced. How to Spot A RavenThe only problem is… how do you spot one? The Oxfordshire countryside is littered with big black birds; crows, rooks and jackdaws can be seen feeding in fields, nesting in trees and on roadsides and roundabouts almost everywhere you go. So here’s your bluffers guide to spotting a Raven. 1) The main difference is size. It’s massive. As big as a buzzard, with a 4 foot wingspan and about twice as big as a crow. 2) In flight, the raven has a diamond shaped tail. 3) The raven can fly upside down during mating displays. Usually over woodland. 4) They have a unique “HONK HONK” or “CRONK CRONK” call which sounds a little like an old car horn.  Rook - photo by John Harding 5) They like to nest in fir trees. Look for a lone Scots Pine in the middle of some parkland. 6) If it’s got a light coloured bill, it’s probably a rook. 7) If it’s got patches of lighter coloured feathers, it’s probably a jackdaw. Where to spot a ravenThey’ve been spotted and heard over Banbury and Oxford. You are most likely to see them flying over woodland and parkland. They like to nest in fir trees. A lone Scots Pine in an area of parkland would be a good bet.  Crow Don’t approach a nest site. Ravens are 'neophobic' - they do not like new things or people, and could be frightened away from their nests. Enjoy them from a distance. last updated: 04/03/2008 at 16:20 Have Your Say
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