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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Corvidae
  4. ›
  5. Corvus
  6. ›
  7. Little Raven
Little Raven
Photo · (c) Donald Davesne, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Little Raven

Corvus melloriMathews, 1912

Updated 11 June 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
PASSERIFORMES
Family
Corvidae
Genus
Corvus

At a glance

The Little Raven is a large bird, about 48–52 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
48–52 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Voice
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Little Raven look like?

The Little Raven is a large bird, about 48–52 cm long and weighing 365–660 g.

The little raven is a species of the family Corvidae that is native to southeastern Australia. An adult individual is about 48–50 cm (19–19.5 in) in length, with completely black plumage, beak, and legs; as with all Australian species of Corvus, the black feathers have a grey base, and the iris of the adult bird is white. Although the little raven was first named by Gregory Mathews in 1912, it was only in 1967 that there was consensus to separate it from the Australian raven as a distinct species.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
48–52 cm
Weight
365–660 g
Wingspan
80 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Little Raven?

The Little Raven is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

04 · Voice

What it sounds like

Call

John Cull · Heathmont VIC 3135, Australia

Call

Caleb Catto · Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, Tower Hill, VIC, AU

Call

Thomas Jaeger · Narre Warren North VIC 3804, Australia

Call

Rosalie Lawrence · Monarto South SA 5254, Australia

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Little Raven eat?

The Little Raven feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, terrestrial vertebrates and carrion, usually foraging in flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

The BirdUp app

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Little Raven live in Australia?

The Little Raven is endemic to Australia, recorded across 38 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingSouth-east SA to north-east NSW and King I. (west Bass Strait; south-east Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Non-breeding

8 regions recorded