It might be a surprise to some to know that ravens, and crows for that matter, are officially songbirds. They, corvids, belong to the order of perching birds (Passeriformes) and the suborder, true songbird (oscines) along with about half of the bird species. The oscines, unlike owls for instance, do not have an innate language of song; they have to be taught by their parents, just like humans, dolphins and whales.
Understanding that fact, explains the very different sounds Grog and Sunshine sometimes make. (You might recall that Grog was brought up in the old country, across the pond as they say.*) Sunshine seems to favor click-like sounds and I have heard more of the same in the local hills where I sometimes walk. Recently, eight ravens sitting on a row of posts produced a musical roundelay of clicking sounds, each responding to the other. It reminded me of the Xhosa language with its clicks. There didn't seem to be any apparent reason for their chorus other than a spontaneous joining in song.
When I first was getting to know Grog, at the end of my run as I was leaving the beach, he would fly over with an aaaarkh, what I took to be farewell, and circled back to his territory. For the most part, raven sounds are for communication. Like humans, ravens accentuate their voice with body language, raised feathers being one of their more common means of expression. Their emotions are apparent in the harsh, loud cry to alert to danger, or a hard repetitive quork to show displeasure, particularly with their young.
Young ravens with their much higher voice, beg loudly in demand for food but also spend hours gurgling, quorking, trilling, clicking, practicing it seems a plethora of sounds. They are learning their language. At the other extreme of the frightful sounds are the sweet and soft murmurings of a raven with its mate. I have been lucky to hear Grog and Sunshine sing together and respond in what seemed like a point, counterpoint. In between the dulcet and the gruff raven sounds, there are something like eighty different calls recorded according to the raven expert, Bernd Heinrich.
Most people will find the morning corvid calls, the crow's caw, the raven's kaaark, annoying. It's a far cry from the golden scales of the house finch's dawn lilt. I have never heard a nightingale sing but I have read Keat's ode. Like him, to "darkling, I listen," but to a different darkling and I listen now again.
*See Meet the Grogs again post
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