Could it have been magpies originally then become ravens?
Dear wow,
Just returned from a trip away and looked at this thread – astonished at first by the interest in the corvus family, but then people have always found crows fascinating.
I think your suggestion above is more likely to be true than that the rhyme originally applied to ravens if, as I suppose, it came from Britain – I guess it may not have - could have been translated from German. But although I admit I haven’t done the research, I believe the bird has been rare here for probably three hundred years or more (sticking my neck well out! Someone will probably chop my head off.) except perhaps for parts of Scotland and Wales. The likelihood of seeing several together would be remote, but with magpies it would have been possible occasionally. In fact the magpie which has been on the protected list for some time (I think it may have been removed recently ) is now pretty common. I think they thrive on road-kill!!!
There is a collection of ravens hopping around at the Tower of London (something about the fate of the kingdom depending on their survival, like the apes on Gibraltar) they are cared for by the Beefeaters I believe. That is the only place I have seen a raven outside an aviary.
