Corvus mellori
Silhouette: Peileppe · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Raven sighting in Flinders Ranges National Park on a given day, based on 49 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 50th most-seen of the 94 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Little Raven in Flinders Ranges National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, August and November, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.
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.
6th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Little Raven sightings, Flinders Ranges National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in Great Otway National Park (Australia, about 40%), Flinders Chase (Australia, about 40%) and Kosciuszko National Park (Australia, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Raven is recorded against all the birds logged in Flinders Ranges National Park (49 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
