You look up and notice a "black bird" soaring overhead, but what is it? It is difficult to tell sometimes. Is it a crow? A raven? How can someone tell the difference? Ravens are larger overall in appearance. Ravens are as big as red-tail hawks, and crows are a little larger than pigeons. Ravens can live for up to 30 years and crows can live up to 8 years.

The raven is all black, has a 3.5- to 4-foot wingspan and is around 24-27 inches from head to tail. The crow is also black, has a 2.5-foot wingspan and is about 17 inches long.The raven weighs around 40 ounces while the crow is 20 ounces - half the weight of a raven.The raven has highly glossed plumage showing iridescent greens, blues and purples. Sometimes the feathers have an oily or wet sheen. Crows also have feathers with iridescent purple and blue, but with less sheen than the raven.Ravens' feathers are also a slightly different shape from crows' feathers. Crow feathers tend to be more rounded at the tip, while ravens have feathers that are slightly pointed. This is most noticeable on the breast feathers, especially when the bird fluffs itself up. The feathers on the crow's breast lie against each other and provide a nice, even, rounded covering. The feathers on a raven's breast lie jaggedly, and when a raven fluffs up, its breast tends to look ragged. In fact, when a raven really fluffs up and all its feathers look like they're standing on end, the raven appears to have a short fluffy mane (called a "ruff").Raven wings are shaped differently from crow wings, with longer primaries ("fingers") and wider spaces between them. Ravens have pointed wings, while crows have a more blunt and splayed wing tip. A raven's wing sometimes makes a prominent "swish, swish" sound, while a crow's wing beat is usually silent. Ravens soar more than crows. Common Ravens can do a somersault in flight and even fly upside down.Crows have a fan-shaped tail, where ravens have more of a wedge-shape to them. This isn't very easy to tell if the bird is sitting on the ground, but when flying overhead, you can often get a good look at the shape of the tail.Another difference is the beaks. Crows tend to have a flat beak while ravens have a curved and powerful one.The call of a raven is a deep, reverberating croaking or "gronk-gronk." Crows make the familiar "caw-caw," but they are both capable of having a large repertoire of rattles, clicks and bell-like notes. They both have the ability to imitate certain words as well.Ravens and crows can often be found living side by side in the same areas, but where there's a choice, ravens prefer wilder areas while crows will live quite close to cities.The bigger the city, the less likely ravens will make it their home - and when they do, they tend to live in or near parks and natural spaces. Crows, on the other hand, are more likely to live near buildings, and will venture farther into human developments to compete for food.So next time you look up, you just might impress someone when you "ID" that soaring black bird with confidence!