Ravens are the largest bird in the crow family, twice as heavy as a common crow. They have a very thick, black beaks and can have a wingspan up to three and a half feet. Ravens soar and dip above trees and are capable of aerial flight, similar to birds of prey. They have a wedge-shaped tail seen while they soar. Ravens will eat anything including seeds, nuts, fruits, carrion, small animals, and human garbage. There are eight sub-species of ravens with little variation. They generally reside in open and forest areas in western and northern North America. Ravens are known for their intelligence, adaptability, and mischievousness.

The intelligence they possess has been seen or heard in numerous ways. Ravens can talk or mimic noises such as human words, car engines, animal sounds like frogs or other bird calls such as a red tail hawk. They use logic for solving problems, an example is that they figured out that to follow hunters and fisherman, they may gain access to a meal. They are known to steal food from other birds or animals. They can work in pairs to do this, one bird will capture a dogs attention while the other steals its food. They are also known for imitating wolves or foxes to attract them to carcasses that they cannot break open or for following wolf packs so they can pick at remains from their kills. Ravens are also playful with wolves, they have been seen pulling at their tails, then flying away quickly.