A new species is being added to the South Fork Natural History Museum’s list of birds to look out for on the East End: the common raven.
Similar to a crow in appearance, though much larger and with several other distinguishing characteristics, the raven is a new resident in our neck of the woods.
The first raven spotted on Long Island — ever — was atop the water tower in Hampton Bays in 2008, says avid birder Frank Quevedo, who is the executive director at SOFO in Bridgehampton. And while ravens have apparently been a presence here for more than a decade, they are still pretty uncommon to see.
It may be likely you would hear one before you saw one. Quevedo says he heard one recently while walking his dogs in the Mulvihill Preserve in Noyac.
“It’s unmistakable,” says Quevedo, imitating the throaty, gargling, ‘kkkgrrackkkk’ call the bird makes. “It’s not a pretty sound,” he acknowledges.
But if you did see one in flight, it’s easy to distinguish a raven from a crow, simply because it’s so much larger, with a wingspan that can spread to about 4 feet, which puts it in the neighborhood of a red-tailed hawk. By contrast, a crow has a wingspan of about 2 and a half feet.
Another key identifier is the raven’s tail, which has the appearance of a wedge when spread open, while a crow’s tail feathers are all the same length and appear like a fan when open.
Two other points: A raven’s beak is much thicker, and its throat is “shaggy,” Quevedo says.
He is now attentive, looking and listening for ravens, and has found them throughout eastern Suffolk County, from Yaphank to Montauk. He recently spotted a raven and an eagle “tussling” in the air over the dunes on the east side of the Shinnecock Canal, and they have been spotted over Scuttle Hole Road in Bridgehampton, where he thinks there may be a nesting pair.
Their presence here is evidence that the ravens are expanding their territory. Normally native to northern territories, several guides show their southern limit east of the Mississippi along the Canadian-U.S. border, the Canadian Maritimes, and Maine and northern New England, with some settling in the Appalachian Mountains.
“We really had never heard of them here,” Quevedo says. He adds that even the Audubon books do not show their presence on Long Island. That will likely change, he says, suggesting they are here to stay.
“They’re one of the smartest birds in the world,” he notes. “You never see any raven roadkill.”
