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'{{other uses}} [[File:Head of Raven.jpg|thumb|Head of a common raven]] [[File:Corvus corax jouveniles.jpeg|thumb|Common ravens]] [[File:Corvus cryptoleucus Arizona 2.jpg|thumb|Chihuahuan raven]] [[File:Fan-tailed raven.jpg|thumb|Fan-tailed raven]] [[File:Australian Raven Sydney University.jpg|thumb|Australian raven]] A '''raven''' is one of several larger-bodied species of the [[genus]] ''[[Corvus]]''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "[[crow]]s" and "ravens", and these appellations have been assigned to different species chiefly on the basis of their size, crows generally being smaller than ravens. The largest raven species are the [[common raven]] and the [[thick-billed raven]]. ==Etymology== The term "raven" originally referred to the common raven, the type species of the genus ''Corvus'', which has a larger distribution than any other species of ''Corvus'', ranging over much of the [[Northern Hemisphere]]. The modern English word ''raven'' has cognates in all other [[Germanic languages]], including [[Old Norse]] (and subsequently [[Icelandic language|modern Icelandic]]) ''hrafn''<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'' entry for "raven."</ref> and [[Old High German]] ''(h)raban'',<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia| title=Raven|encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary|editor=Simpson, J. |editor2=Weiner, E. | year=1989 |edition= 2nd| location=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press|isbn= 0-19-861186-2}}</ref> all of which descend from [[Proto-Germanic]] ''*hrabanaz''.<ref>{{cite web| title=Raven| work=Online Etymology Dictionary| url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=raven| accessdate=2007-05-14}}</ref> [[Collective noun]]s for a group of ravens (or at least the common raven) include "unkindness"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://baltimorebirdclub.org/gnlist.html | title=Baltimore Bird Club. Group Name for Birds: A Partial List | accessdate=2007-06-03}}</ref> and "conspiracy".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucgc.org/terms-for-collections.htm | title=University of California Golf Club. List of Collective Nouns | accessdate=2008-07-16}}</ref> In practice, most people use the more generic "flock". ==Species== * ''[[Corvus albicollis]]'' – [[white-necked raven]] * ''[[Corvus corax]]'' – [[common raven]] * ''[[Corvus coronoides]]'' – [[Australian raven]] * ''[[Corvus crassirostris]]'' – [[thick-billed raven]] * ''[[Corvus cryptoleucus]]'' – [[Chihuahuan raven]] * ''[[Corvus mellori]]'' – [[little raven]] * ''[[Corvus rhipidurus]]'' – [[fan-tailed raven]] * ''[[Corvus ruficollis]]'' – [[brown-necked raven]] * ''[[Corvus tasmanicus]]'' – [[forest raven]] ==Extinct species== * †''[[Corvus moriorum]]'' – [[Chatham raven]] * †''[[Corvus antipodum]]'' – [[New Zealand raven]] * †''[[Corvus corax varius morpha leucophaeus]]'' – [[pied raven]] ==See also== * [[Cultural depictions of ravens]] * [[Ravens of the Tower of London]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{wikiquote|Ravens}} {{Wikisource1911Enc|Raven}} * [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/crows-corvidae Raven videos] on the Internet Bird Collection * [https://web.archive.org/web/20101229105854/http://enature.com/fieldguides/view_default.asp?allSpecies=y&searchText=raven North American ravens] on eNature {{Set index article|animalia}} [[Category:Corvus (genus)]] [[Category:Birds by common name]] [[fi:Korppi]] [[sv:Korp]]'