Crow Or Raven - What's The Difference? - Animal Encyclopedia For Kids

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2. Plumage

Common Raven - Photo: Frank Lambert/stock.adobe.com

All animals belonging to the genus "Corvus" are black. Or are they? Wait a moment. At first glance, this might seem true. However, upon closer inspection, one quickly realizes that not all of them are uniformly or deeply black.

Of course, the hooded crow stands out first with its gray "coat". But the jackdaw also sports gray plumage on its notably round head. Some birds have feathers that shine with a metallic hue. For instance, the rook has a slightly reddish/metallic sheen, while the carrion crow appears more bluish/metallic. The common raven has a subtle green to blue-violet shimmer.

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By the way: You can particularly identify the common raven by the elongated feathers on its throat - when it calls out "kraa, kraa", they are especially visible.

Plumage of the Jackdaw (Corvus monedula):

Dark brown to black, gray nape

Plumage of the Jackdaw - Photo: David/stock.adobe.com

Plumage of the Rook (Corvus frugilegus):

Black, with a slight reddish/metallic sheen

Plumage of the Rook - Photo: viktoriya89/stock.adobe.com

Plumage of the Carrion Crow (Corvus corone):

Black, with a slight bluish/metallic sheen

Plumage of the Carrion Crow - Photo: CreativeNature.nl/Shutterstock

Plumage of the American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos):

Black, with violet or blue sheen, and a bluish-green shimmer on the wings

Plumage of the American Crow - Photo: Cephas [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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Plumage of the Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix):

Black, with gray feathers on the neck and chest

Plumage of the Hooded Crow - Photo: John Sandoy/stock.adobe.com

Plumage of the Common Raven (Corvus corax):

Black, with a slight green to blue-violet sheen

Plumage of the Common Raven - Photo: Dirk Ott/Shutterstock

• Table of Contents
• 0. Introduction
• 1. Bill
• 2. Plumage
• 3. Size
• 4. Special Features
• 5. Summary

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