Corvus tasmanicus
Silhouette: Kawinwit Kittipalawattanapol · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The forest raven (Corvus tasmanicus), also commonly known as the Tasmanian raven, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae native to Tasmania and parts of southern Victoria, such as Wilsons Promontory and Portland. Populations are also found in parts of New South Wales, including Dorrigo and Armidale. Measuring 50–53 cm (20–21 in) in length, it has all-black plumage, beak and legs. As with the other two species of raven in Australia, its black feathers have grey bases. Adults have white irises; younger birds have dark brown and then hazel irises with an inner blue rim. New South Wales populations are recognised as a separate subspecies C. tasmanicus boreus, but appear to be nested within the Tasmanian subspecies genetically.
The forest raven lives in a wide variety of habitats in Tasmania but is restricted to more closed forest on mainland Australia. Breeding takes place in spring and summer, occurring later in Tasmania than in New South Wales. The nest is a bowl-shaped structure of sticks sited high in a tree. An omnivorous and opportunistic feeder, the forest raven eats a wide variety of plant and animal material, as well as food waste from urban areas and roadkill. It has been blamed for killing lambs and poultry and raiding orchards in Tasmania, and is unprotected under Tasmanian legislation. The forest raven is sedentary, with pairs generally bonding for life and establishing permanent territories. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hobart | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Raven sighting in Hobart on a given day, based on 1,309 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 79 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and August
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Raven in Hobart on a given day, against about 50% in November, the lowest month.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Forest Raven sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Hobart, in our data
Hobart is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Forest Raven sightings: about 80% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Forest Raven that you can see in Hobart (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Eurasian Blackbird (about 90%), Silvereye (about 70%) and House Sparrow (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Forest Raven is recorded against all the birds logged in Hobart (1,309 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
