Biology Ravens use their spatial memory instead of stalking wolves
Ravens are strategists: Contrary to previous assumptions, the birds do not actively pursue wolves in order to snack on their prey. Instead, they memorize where the predators often prey on deer and other ungulates and regularly visit these places.
12.03.2026, 19:00
SDA
The birds take flights of up to six hours and 155 kilometers for a piece of carcass, as a research team shows in a study published in the journal "Science".
"When a pack of wolves kills its prey, ravens are often the first to arrive," Matthias Loretto, a researcher from the University of Vienna who was involved in the study, was quoted as saying in a press release. "Even before the predators have time to eat, the birds are already waiting to benefit from the meat scraps." Until now, scientists believed that the ravens constantly flew after the wolves for this purpose.
Birds with GPS transmitters
The Viennese researcher and his colleagues in Yellowstone National Park in the USA attached tiny GPS transmitters to 69 common ravens (Corvus corax). He used them to record their whereabouts and routes for two and a half years, as well as those of 20 gray wolves (Canis lupus) using GPS collars.
Only in one case did a raven and a wolf move more than one kilometer in the same direction for over an hour, the researchers report. A detailed analysis of the movement patterns revealed that the birds were pursuing a different, "far more interesting strategy", as they wrote: "The scavengers apparently use their spatial memory and navigation skills to specifically seek out areas where wolves often prey."
