Juvenile Ravens

Juvenile Ravens on the roof tops

As expected, since the Ravens were nesting in February, their young have fledged way ahead of most other bird species.  There are five of them.  For a couple of weeks now they have made their presence known in the neighborhood with their loud calls.   They seem to be practicing their flying and landing skills, as I see them diving, swooping and climbing in the sky all over the neighborhood.   One of them is even a bit clumsy, which is actually quite endearing.

Juvenile Raven

Ravens are very intelligent and as I learned from both my research and through observation, their young engage in active play.  This takes the form of chase games with each other, as well as other birds, and has the added bonus of turning them into excellent fliers.   When I was watching them, it was almost as if they were encouraging each other to try landings and take offs from trees and other high places, such as a church tower, and hoping from one roof top to the next in my complex.

Preening

In Flight

The parents, who are very caring and protective, check up on them regularly.  In the picture directly below you can see some of them in a family huddle with one of the parents.  I have observed this behavior several times now.

Joyous greeting of parent

The parents also seem always to be close by.  When the juveniles are giving off distress calls, the parents swoop in almost immediately.  The first time that I saw the juveniles, they were being mobbed by crows.  The crows however didn't stick around for long once the parents arrived on scene, as Raven parents are very aggressive in their defense of the juveniles.   They will engage any threat to their young with aggression, as I have even observed the Ravens chasing and harassing an Eagle, until it was well away from their nest site.

Juvenile Raven taking off

Juvenile Ravens will stay with or near their parents for six months after they fledge.  They also stay in a group,  while the parents are elsewhere.  As far as I know this is the only bird species to do so.  Although the juvenile Ravens are anything but quiet when they play, I quite enjoy watching their antics.


Enjoy,
Susan