Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Common Raven (Corvus corax)

Abundance: Rare (at least 4 recent records in 2 Tennessee counties, most or all involving single birds); formerly a Very Uncommon or Rare year-round resident.

Status: Visitor, or, more probably, a re-establishing Permanent Resident, during spring (1 record), summer (2 records), and fall (1 record); formerly a probable Permanent Resident, without confirmed breeding records.

Information on Records: 

13 May 2000 (1) Morgan County, Tennessee (David J. Trently unpubl. data).

Summer 2004 (present) southeastern Scott County, Tennessee (Bulluck and Timpf 2005).

Summer 2005 (present) southeastern Scott County, Tennessee (Bulluck and Timpf 2005).

6 October 2007 (1) Fire tower in Frozen Head State Natural Area, Morgan County, Tennessee (Michael E. Hodge photo and unpubl. data).

Breeding: Based on anecdotal evidence, bred in McCreary and Pulaski counties, Kentucky (Mengel 1965), and in Fentress County, Tennessee (Ganier 1973), into the early decades of the early 20th Century and undoubtedly in centuries prior to that one; probable breeder in or very near Scott County, Tennessee, during mid-2000s (Bulluck and Timpf 2005).

Habitat: Cliff lines probably necessary for nesting success.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: no registrations.

Remarks: Mengel (1965) indicates the great likelihood that this corvid was breeding in Pulaski and McCreary counties, Kentucky, as late as the early decades of the 20th Century.  Ganier (1973) refers to this species' presence as a breeder near Jamestown, Fentress County, Tennessee, in the early decades of the 20th Century.

    Bulluck and Timpf (2005) cite records during the breeding seasons of 2004 and 2005 at sites lying either within extreme southeastern Scott County, Tennessee, or on the line with Anderson County; their account does not allow for the extraction of the specific dates when ravens were observed at several sites, including Burge Mountain, Fork Mountain, and Smoky Mountain, all partly within or very near Scott County.

Counties with Historical (boldfaced red) or Recent (boldfaced purple) Observations:

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the boldfaced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited