Michigan does have ravens, but where you live decides whether you’re likely to see one. Common ravens are permanent residents, so they can turn up in any season, not only during migration. Many of the big black birds people report as ravens turn out to be crows, which live across the whole state. Ravens are also part of a comeback story, returning to parts of the eastern US they vanished from over a century ago.1Audubon. Common Raven
Where Ravens Live in Michigan
Ravens in Michigan are found mainly in the northern part of the state.2Buzzsprout. UP habitat work, ravens and the Michigan moose – The Michigan DNR’s Wildtalk Podcast They are most widespread across the Upper Peninsula (UP), the land north of the Mackinac Bridge.3Buzzsprout. UP habitat work, ravens and the Michigan moose – The Michigan DNR’s Wildtalk Podcast In the northern Lower Peninsula they show up only occasionally.4Buzzsprout. UP habitat work, ravens and the Michigan moose – The Michigan DNR’s Wildtalk Podcast The reason is habitat: ravens thrive in remote, forested places with large stretches of wilderness.5Buzzsprout. UP habitat work, ravens and the Michigan moose – The Michigan DNR’s Wildtalk Podcast
If you’re planning a raven-watching trip in the UP, head for big stretches of forest with few houses, like the western UP. Drive back roads slowly and scan the treetops and the sky above ridges. Listen for a deep croak, since you’ll often hear the bird before you see it.
Wild country is best, but towns aren’t off limits. Lightly developed areas such as western Baraga County can have ravens all over.6Buzzsprout. UP habitat work, ravens and the Michigan moose – The Michigan DNR’s Wildtalk Podcast Ravens also turn up in UP towns, including downtown Marquette.7Buzzsprout. UP habitat work, ravens and the Michigan moose – The Michigan DNR’s Wildtalk Podcast
“Occasionally” in the northern Lower Peninsula means you can see ravens there, but not reliably on any given day. Wilder, heavily forested areas are a better bet than farmland.
Ravens don’t leave for winter, so a snowy UP trip can still produce sightings. Because a territory is typically held by a resident pair, a place where you hear or see a raven in summer can produce one again in January. If you find a good spot, note the exact place and time of day to plan a return trip.
How to Tell a Raven From a Crow
A raven is about the size of a red-tailed hawk, clearly bigger than an American crow.8Audubon. How to Tell a Raven From a Crow Ravens weigh about 24 to 57 ounces, while American crows weigh about 11 to 22 ounces.9All About Birds. Crow ID: How to Tell American Crows and Other Black Birds Apart The raven’s bill is also very large, while a crow’s is moderate.10All About Birds. Crow ID: How to Tell American Crows and Other Black Birds Apart
The tail and flight are the best clues. A raven’s tail looks wedge- or diamond-shaped when spread overhead, because its middle tail feathers are longer than the outer ones.11Audubon. How to Tell a Raven From a Crow A crow’s tail feathers are about equal in length, so the tail spreads like a fan with a square or rounded end.12Audubon. How to Tell a Raven From a Crow Ravens also have longer wings and glide or soar much more often, while crows flap steadily.13All About Birds. Crow ID: How to Tell American Crows and Other Black Birds Apart Look up when the bird passes overhead with its tail spread, because the outline is easiest to see from below.
Voice and company help too. A raven’s classic call is a deep croak, unlike the crow’s familiar caw.14Birding. Describing Bird Sounds in Words Ravens often travel in pairs, while crows are usually in bigger groups.15Audubon. How to Tell a Raven From a Crow Crows often chase ravens in small groups, which can put both birds side by side for comparison.16The Auk. Why do crows attack ravens? The roles of predation threat, resource competition, and social behavior
Size alone misleads. A lone bird against an empty sky has nothing to compare with, so a distant crow can seem large and a distant raven can seem ordinary. Treat bill shape as a bonus clue, since it disappears at a distance.
Common mistakes come from leaning on one clue. A single big crow can look raven-like, so check the tail shape. A flock of dozens of black birds in southern Michigan is most likely crows.
Aim for two or three clues that agree, such as tail shape plus a croak plus soaring. Playing recordings of each call beforehand helps train your ear. Group size is only a hint, since crows can also appear singly or in pairs. If the clues disagree, such as a big bird with a fan tail, call it a crow or leave it unidentified rather than guess.
Are Ravens Spreading Into Southern Michigan
Ravens disappeared from much of the eastern and midwestern US before 1900.17Audubon. Common Raven In recent decades they have been spreading back into areas they once lived.18Audubon. Common Raven Winter bird counts show ravens rising about 3.9% a year, nearly eightfold over 57 years.19Audubon. CBC Trends for Species in the U.S. and Canada
Ravens need large wild areas and avoid heavily cleared land, and their comeback elsewhere has moved from the north toward the south. Growth in the species gives southern Michigan a better chance of seeing ravens than it had decades ago.
Ravens are still quite uncommon in southwest Michigan.20Harbor Country News. Ravens sighted in Coloma Township Even so, two were seen along Red Arrow Highway in Coloma Township, Berrien County.21Harbor Country News. Ravens sighted in Coloma Township At least one pair has probably nested for several years at the remote Ross Coastal Plain Preserve in Van Buren County.22Harbor Country News. Ravens sighted in Coloma Township A southern sighting is noteworthy, so check the tail shape and the voice before you decide.
Where Ravens Nest and Find Food
Ravens usually nest on a rock cliff ledge or high in a tall tree, especially a conifer.23Audubon. Common Raven They may reuse the same site year after year, piling new material on the old nest.24Audubon. Common Raven The nest is a bulky basket of sticks with a deep center lined with grass, bark, moss, and hair.25Audubon. Common Raven
Where natural sites are scarce, ravens readily nest on electrical transmission towers.26Utah State University Extension. Nesting by Raptors and Common Ravens on Electrical Transmission Line Towers In one western corridor, ravens and raptors began nesting on new towers within a year.27Utah State University Extension. Nesting by Raptors and Common Ravens on Electrical Transmission Line Towers
Food is another way to find ravens. Wolves are often followed by ravens hoping to scavenge their kills.28Wolf-Moose Project. Ravens — Wolf-Moose Project Typically 5 to 20 ravens gather at a wolf kill, as seen on Michigan’s Isle Royale.29Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Ravens and Wolves – Friends or Enemies Each raven can eat or stash about two pounds of food a day,30Wolf-Moose Project. Ravens — Wolf-Moose Project so a few birds can empty a carcass faster than you might expect. Ravens can take as much as a third of what a wolf pack kills.31Wolf-Moose Project. Ravens — Wolf-Moose Project Wolves in larger packs lose less of each kill to ravens, which may help explain why wolves live in packs.32Animal Behaviour. Raven scavenging favours group foraging in wolves
How to Report a Raven Sighting
Sightings can be logged on eBird, a free bird-tracking site and app where you enter what you saw, where, and when. Enter the number of ravens, since a pair and a flock tell different stories, and add notes on why you identified it, such as the wedge tail or the croak.
Documentation means written notes, photos, sound recordings, or video of the bird.33Help Center. How to Document Your Sightings in eBird It provides key evidence for an unusual or unexpected sighting, such as a raven in southern Michigan.34Help Center. How to Document Your Sightings in eBird
Try to capture a photo of the bird overhead showing its tail shape, and a phone recording of its croak. Note the location, time, whether it was with crows, whether it was soaring, and how many birds there were.