Corvus mellori
Silhouette: Peileppe · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The little raven (Corvus mellori) 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 (typical also of some related species from islands to the north of Australia). 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 (C. coronoides) as a distinct species.
In the 1960s, the CSIRO were intensively studying Australian raven populations and their relationship to lambing and sheep in southeastern Australia. It became evident that there was a smaller species of raven living alongside the Australian raven. These birds lived in smaller trees, had smaller throat hackles and lacked the bare skin of their larger relative. They were also nomadic and made different calls. Ian Rowley investigated old scientific names assigned to type specimens and concluded that they matched Corvus mellori as described by Gregory Mathews in 1912 as... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kosciuszko National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Little Raven sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 35,770 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 4th most-seen of the 236 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to September
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Little Raven in Melbourne on a given day, against about 70% in January and February, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little Raven sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Little Raven sightings, Melbourne has the highest daily chance: about 80%. Next come Sydney (Australia, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Raven is recorded against all the birds logged in Melbourne (35,770 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.
