A Raven’s Call

While riding my horse, a single raven landed on a tall saguaro. For an hour, the raven, Corvus corax, had a variety of vocalizations, most I had not heard before. The first was the sound of knocking on acoustical wood. It made me stop and wonder what was causing it. The raven cooperated by repeating her vocalization until I saw it was her. It was a very unbirdlike sound.

Knock, Knock. Who’s There?

After the initial knocking, the raven started a raucous “brronk.” I observed her calling this way over several days. It sounded like she was calling for her mate, whom I had seen the week before. She called and called, but he didn’t join in. My riding partner mentioned seeing a raven dead on the road the previous morning. I surmised he a car hit him while trying to eat a bit of road-kill—such a needless death. Ravens mate for life, forming deep relationships with their mate, family, and friends. Even to this human’s ear, it sounded like she was desperate and mournful. This daily calling went on for a couple of weeks. It only stopped when I noticed a new raven had joined the female.

Yet, these calls were only a few of the many vocalizations of ravens. Growing up in Illinois, I encountered American crows, Corvus brachyrhynchos. Their voice pitch is much higher. I prefer to lower the timbre of the ravens. A crow’s most common call is, as described by many, a “simple, scratchy caw.” Ravens are said to have a “gurgling croak” that rises in pitch. Yes, I prefer a gurgling croak to a scratchy caw!

Scientists have identified thirty-three different vocalizations by ravens. My lonely raven (forgive my bit of anthropomorphism) was a female because of the knocking sound. Females are known to make a repeated knocking sound. I’ve heard at least a dozen different calls. I’m going to pay more attention.

Of course, like many birds, ravens use shrill calls when danger is around and deep, rasping calls when their nests are disturbed. Juveniles are known for making a screaming call during the fledgling time. Isn’t that just like a teenager? Along with vocalizing, the raven snaps their bills. Females making the knocking sound will often end it with a snap!

Syrinx Who?

I love researching topics, as I did for this blog. My new word is “syrinx.” Since birds don’t have larynxes, how are they producing sounds? Many birds use their syrinx. Their syrinx is at the base of the trachea, where it branches into the lungs. Muscles on both sides modulate the vibrations of air moving over the membranes and cartilage. The two sides work independently, allowing some birds to produce multiple sounds simultaneously. We mammals with our larynxes can’t do that!

We, humans, are fascinated by bird species that can mimic human speech. How do birds pick up our sounds and learn to communicate in their avian language? Like us, they hear and memorize the sounds and create a memory template. Using this template, they make their version of the sounds, comparing and refining it until satisfied. Ravens are among the birds that can mimic human speech. After all, Poe made one raven very famous for that ability.

Ravens aren’t known as songbirds, but there are indeed interesting to listen to. If you are a feathered fan, look at some of my bird books.