Due to their jet-black physical color, many people interpret their appearance as threatening. They believe encountering a crow or a raven brings no bad luck. This raven vs. crow discussion ...

In other words, comparing them is less apples-to-oranges and more apples-to-other-apples; so it can be a little difficult to figure out if the bird perched on your fence is a raven or a crow.

The eye color changes to brown as the crow matures ... One sure sign you're looking at a raven, not a crow: Ravens have specialized throat feathers called hackles, which almost look like beards.

If you could find a crow and a raven ... and least tern. Ravens are often considered an agricultural pest, as well, for their fondness for newborn lamb and calf eyes, which might loom larger ...