Edgar Allan Poe knew what he was doing when he used the raven instead of some other bird to croak “nevermore” in his famous poem. The raven has long been associated with death and dark omens, but the real bird is much more multifaceted. Here are 10 fascinating facts about ravens.

1. Ravens are extremely smart.

When it comes to animal intelligence, these birds rate up there with chimpanzees and dolphins. In one logic test, a raven had to reach a hanging piece of food by pulling up a bit of the string, anchoring it with its talon, and repeating until the food was in reach. Many ravens got the food on the first try, some within 30 seconds. If a raven knows another raven is watching it hide its food, it will pretend to put the food in one place while really hiding it in another. Since the other ravens are smart too, this only works sometimes. In the wild, ravens have pushed rocks on people to keep them from climbing to their nests, played dead beside a beaver carcass to scare other ravens away from the feast, and stolen Costco customers’ packaged meats right out of their carts.

2. Ravens can imitate human speech.

In captivity, ravens can learn to talk better than some parrots. They also mimic other noises, like car engines, toilets flushing, and animal and bird calls. Ravens have been known to imitate wolves or foxes to attract them to carcasses that the raven isn’t capable of breaking open. When the wolf is done eating, the raven gets the leftovers.

3. In the past, some European cultures viewed ravens as evil in disguise.


4. Ravens appear in many of the world’s mythologies.

Cultures from Tibet to Greece have seen the raven as a messenger for the gods. Celtic goddesses of warfare often took the form of ravens during battles. The Viking god, Odin, had two ravens named Hugin (“thought”) and Munin (“memory”), which flew around the world every day and reported back to Odin every night about what they saw. Chinese myths said ravens caused bad weather in the forests to warn people that the gods were going to pass by. And many Native American peoples consider the raven a sly trickster who was involved in the creation of the world.

5. Ravens love to play.


6. Ravens do weird things with ants.

They lie in anthills and roll around so the ants swarm on them, or they chew the ants up and rub their guts on their feathers. The scientific name for this is “anting.” Some songbirds, crows, and jays do it too. The behavior is not well understood. Theories about its purpose range from the ants acting as an insecticide and fungicide for the bird, to ant secretions soothing a molting bird’s skin, to the whole performance being a mild addiction. One thing seems clear, though: anting feels great if you’re a bird.

7. Ravens use “hand” gestures.


8. Ravens are adaptable to different environments.

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9. Ravens roam around in teenage gangs.


10. Ravens show empathy for each other.

Despite their mischievous nature, ravens seem capable of feeling empathy. When a raven’s friend loses in a fight, they will seem to console the losing bird. They also remember birds they like and will respond in a friendly way to certain birds for at least three years after seeing them. (But they also hold grudges.) Although a flock of ravens is called an unkindness, the birds appear to be anything but.