a large heavily built crow with mainly black plumage, feeding chiefly on carrion. The common raven, also known as the western raven or northern raven when discussing the raven at the subspecies level, is a large all-black passerine bird. See the movie "A Year With The Ravens", there's 2 versions; https://www. A raven is one of several larger-bodied species of the genus Corvus. The common raven (Corvus corax), also known as the western raven or northern raven when discussing the raven at the subspecies level, is a large all-black.