[bert]

what is the difference between the common raven and a crow?

How does one differentiaate between a raven and a crow?

[JoeProBono]

Ravens differ from crows in appearance by their larger bill, tail shape, flight pattern and by their large size. Ravens are as big as Red-tailed Hawks, and crows are about the size of pigeons.

The raven is all black, has a 3.5-4 ft wingspan and is around 24-27 inches from head to tail. The crow is also black, has a 2.5 ft wingspan and is about 17 inches long. The raven weighs around 40 oz while the crow is 20 oz - half the weight of a raven.

The raven has highly glossed plumage showing iridescent greens, blues, and purples. Sometimes the feathers have an oily or wet sheen. Crows also have feathers with iridescent purple and blue, but with less sheen than the raven.

Ravens are uncommon in populated urban areas. If you see a “really big crow” in the city, the chances are good that it really is a crow and not a raven.......

http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/crow_vs_raven.html

[dainbramaged]

A raven can be up to twice the size of a crow (24"-30"), with a heavy black beak and shaggy feathers around the throat. Their sound making ability is amazing, they can bark, meow, whistle, make a sound like rain hitting leaves, and a gulping noise that is really weird.
We have a small group, or "unkindness" of ravens in our rural area (south Puget Sound) that pass thru every so often.
Not to take anything away from crows, some of them go dining at low tide by picking up a clam and dropping it on rocks from 50 feet up. I've seen seagull to the same thing but don't know which species copied the other one.
Having never seen a grackle, I had to look it up at a great web site called allaboutbirds.org.