Freaky Friday in Grand Canyon: Ravens!

Freaky Friday in Grand Canyon: Ravens!

As October 31st draws near, Hatch’s Halloween Countdown continues. We’ve told you about the bugs and snakes you may encounter on a Grand Canyon river trip, but there’s still more to come! This week’s topic famously found literary acclaim in 1845, but has been featured in the myths and legends of cultures around the world since long before that.

These birds’ distinctive, croaking voices and dark feathers have been drawing the attention of storytellers for ages, with appearances in everything from Greek mythology and the Old Testament, all the way to today’s popular book and television series, Game of Thrones. Ravens have been creators, tricksters, bridges between the worlds of the living and the dead, omens of good luck and bad. Their diet of carrion (dead animal carcasses) lends them well to the creepiness we associate with Halloween. Of course, the popularity of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” didn’t hurt the image:

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,

“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,

Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”

            Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

You’ll find the ravens on your trip have little interest in reminding you of lost lovers, though. Instead, they’re much more inclined to hover around your lunch stops and campsites, picking up your leftover bits of food from the sands. The probability of theft in the Canyon is pretty low, but guests should be aware of the ravens. Make sure to keep your duffel zipped – ravens would love to unpack for you and steal any  shiny trinkets.

Ravens are flying garbage collectors, but we still appreciate them in Grand Canyon. Drawn for Hatch by Carlton Stoiber, 2013.

These corvids are highly intelligent, having problem solving skills at the same level as a human child up to seven years old. They also can plan for the future, use tools, have a good memory and even recognize specific human faces.

Ravens are often mistaken for crows, but can be distinguished from them by their larger size and thicker bill. They also have square tails (as opposed to fan-shaped), and they “croak” while crows “caw”.

Raven Facts:

• A group of ravens is called an unkindness.
• A Raven can live about 17 years in the wild.
• Ravens can fly acrobatically much like hawks do, and they use those skills for courtship during mating season.
• Most of the year, ravens spend their time in couples or small groups, but they will gather in flocks during the winter.

Book a trip today to see these guys and tons of other wildlife in the majestic Grand Canyon!