Common Raven vs Turkey Vulture
The check that settles it
Soars with wings in a shallow V and rocks side to side; a raven soars flat and steady.
Common Raven
Corvus corax
- Size
- 54–67 cm
- Bill
- conical
- Where
- woodland, open field, coast
- Voice
- A deep resonant croak, 'gronk-gronk'. Nothing like a crow's caw.
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
- Size
- 62–81 cm
- Bill
- hooked
- Where
- open field, woodland, coast
- Voice
- Nearly silent. Hisses and grunts at close range.
Confirming a common raven
- Wedge-shaped or diamond-shaped tail in flight — the single best character.
- Soars and glides on flat wings; crows almost always flap.
- A very heavy bill with a curved upper edge.
- Shaggy throat feathers, visible when calling.
Confirming a turkey vulture
- Wings held in a shallow V — a dihedral — rather than flat.
- Rocks and tilts constantly instead of soaring steadily.
- Two-toned underwing: dark leading edge, pale silvery trailing edge.
- Small bare red head that looks disproportionately tiny.