Can I Own A Raven? (9 Interesting Facts)

If you like unique bird pets, you may find yourself considering adopting a raven. In that situation, you will want to know whether, in reality, you can own a raven. There are also those who, out of pure curiosity, may want to know whether owning a raven is possible. This article explores that subject.

Can I own a raven? No, unless you obtain a special conservation permit. In most places, ravens are considered wild birds. Therefore owning one requires a special license. In any event, keeping a raven as a pet is not easy: as its care needs are many and complex.

Ravens are big birds, which require lots of food and space. They can also be rather violent birds. And they can be quite noisy.

On account of these factors, owning a raven is never easy.

Furthermore, getting the government to grant you a pet raven permit is not easy. Most times, you have to prove that the bird can only survive under your care, in order to get the license.

At yet another level, it may prove impossible to find a breeder anywhere who has baby ravens for sale.

Thus the legalities and logistics of owning a raven aside, simply getting a raven to own can be quite hard.

Acquiring one would often mean having to capture it from the wild. And this comes with its own dangers. After all, this is usually not a bird that will accept to be captured without putting up a fight.

Can Raven Be Tamed?

If you are considering getting a raven as a pet, the first question to tackle is on whether a raven can be tamed.

The true position is that an adult raven can’t be easily tamed. But if you get a very young raven hatchling, and are tenacious enough, you may succeed in (somewhat) taming it.

The key thing to remember is that a raven is a wild bird. It is not a domestic bird. Living in a domestic setting is not in its genes.

Therefore getting it to live in a domestic setting is a tall order. You will essentially be trying to get it to act contrary to its social, scavenging and migratory nature.

If you capture an adult raven and try to tame it, you can expect a lot of (usually violent) resistance.

Thus if you were wondering, can I own a raven as a pet, this is something to ponder about.

Do Ravens Make Great Pets?

So far, we have seen that taming a raven is extremely hard.

But what if you were to succeed in taming a raven? Would the raven then make a good pet?

The truth of the matter is that, for most people, ravens don’t make good pets.

For starters, the ravens require a lot of care, which many people would find too taxing.

Secondly, the ravens tend to be rather noisy – which for some people would be quite inconvenient.

Thirdly, the ravens can be quite aggressive (in a physical sense). And they can be quite rough – flying/flapping all over, prying cupboards open, pulling on things.

Then again, there are some endearing aspects to having ravens as pets. They are unmistakably intelligent. They can even learn to talk quite well.

So, in such senses, ravens can be good pets for some few people.

Are ravens exotic pets? Yes, in most places, ravens would be considered exotic pets. And if you enjoy being associated with ‘exotic pets’, then ravens can be good for you in that sense.

All in all though, for most people, the cons of owning a raven as a pet outweigh the pros. That is why most people wouldn’t regard ravens as great pets.

Can I Own A Raven?

Usually, after watching bird documentaries that feature ravens, people start desiring to own them.

That is what leads to questions like, can you have a raven as a pet? Or, more directly, can I own a pet raven?

So indeed, is it possible to own a raven? The answer, unfortunately, is largely ‘no’.

There are two things on account of which you may not be able to own a raven.

Firstly, in most places, it is illegal to own a raven. Why is it illegal to own a raven, you may ask. And the answer is that, in most places, ravens are considered wild birds, in need of protection.

Thus one reason why you may not be able to own a raven is because it is illegal.

The other reason why you may not be able to own a raven is because caring for one is very taxing.

Thus even if it were legal to own a raven, the logistics of owning one may prove too hard.

A raven is a huge, social, aggressive and migratory bird. Meeting all its needs is never easy.

Granted, there are people who manage to own ravens as ‘pets’. But the route they have to follow is long and circuitous. They first have to obtain special permits. Then they have to make special living arrangements for the ravens.

All in all, for an average person, it may prove impossible to own a raven.

The best you may have to contend with are documentaries and YouTube videos of ravens doing various things.

Why Can’t I Own A Raven?

The first reason why you can’t own a raven is in that it is illegal to do so in most places.

Most jurisdictions consider a raven to be a wild bird. And just as you wouldn’t usually consider owning a cheetah or a buffalo as a pet, so is it with a raven. Because it is a wild bird, you should (ideally) not even consider owning it.

Legalities aside, the logistics of owning a raven are very challenging. Caring for a raven can never be easy. It requires a lot of food. The raven also requires a lot of space.

Then putting the legal and logistical challenges aside, even if it were easy to own a raven, where would you find one to take ownership of?

If, for instance, you undertake a search for ‘pet raven for sale US’, you mostly draw blanks. Clearly, not many people have pet ravens for sale.

Similarly, if you carry out a search for ‘raven breeder near me‘, you mostly draw blanks. There obviously aren’t many people who breed ravens on commercial basis…

So there are so many reasons due to which it may not be possible for you to own a raven.

Where Can I Legally Own A Raven?

So far, we have been saying that, in most places, it is not legal to own a raven.

This leads to a question on whether there may be any place where it is legal to own a raven.

That question, on where can I own a raven legally is a relatively common one in these sorts of discussions.

For instance, in Canada, is it possible to own a raven as a pet? What about the UK? And what about Australia?

Let’s look at some of these places in turn.

Can You Have A Pet Raven In The Us?

In the US, you normally can’t own a raven legally. This is especially the case for a native raven. You can only come to own one if you obtain a special license for it.

Why do you need a license to own a raven in the US? That is because the Migratory Birds Act of 1918 makes it mandatory to do so.

With regard to an imported raven (as opposed to a native raven), the law may be more lenient. But for a native raven, there is absolute clarity: you need a special license to own it.

The challenge with getting an imported raven is firstly that it is likely to cost you much money. And even then, when the authorities come, it may be hard to prove that it is indeed not a native raven…

In any event, owning a raven in the US is likely to present other challenges. The noise it makes may attract legal actions from the typically very litigious Americans.

Moreover, the raven may cause damage in neighboring properties, attracting legal suits.

Legal issues aside, caring for a raven in the US is unlikely to be easy.

And finding a raven you can take ownership of in the US may also be challenging.

Can You Have A Pet Raven In The UK?

We need to start by asking ourselves: is it legal to own a raven in the UK? And the answer is largely ‘no’. That is unless you can get the required special conservation license.

So you can’t really easily have a pet raven in the UK. There are many legal and logistical hurdles you will need to overcome, in order to own a pet raven in the UK.

Can You Have A Pet Raven In Australia?

In Australia, ravens are considered native birds. Therefore from a legal standpoint, you need a special license – a biodiversity conservation license – to own a raven.

Now getting the biodiversity conservation license is not usually very easy. There are so many things you need to prove, before being granted the license.

In any event, the logistics of keeping and caring for a raven in Australia (as indeed everywhere else) are challenging.

Can You Have A Raven As A Pet In Canada?

Just as is the case in the US, in Canada, it is not legal to own a raven.

The only exception – under which you may own a raven – is if you have a special license. And this license is notoriously hard to obtain.

Even if you were to get the license, maintaining ravens is not a walk in the park either.

Can You Have A Pet Raven In California?

You can’t legally have a pet raven in California, unless you obtain a special permit for that.

The law on owning ravens applies almost uniformly across the US. And the law considers ravens native migratory birds. This is why it accords them special protection.

So it may not be possible for you to own a pet raven in California.

How Can You Go About Acquiring A Raven Legally?

If you must get a raven, then the best thing to do is first consult the relevant authorities.

Enquire from them how to legally own a raven.

You may start the conversation with a basic inquiry like, how can I get a pet crow or raven legally? Then as they open up, make your real intentions clearer.

Ultimately, in most places, you will need to get a special conservator’s license, to own a raven.

Once (and if at all) you get the license, you need to prepare the raven’s abode.

Thereafter, you need to actually get the bird. At this point, you may need to make enquiries, online and locally, on where can I buy a raven?

Ideally, you should have done research, and made up your mind on which specific type of raven you want.

Suppose, for instance, you want a white necked raven. Your first option may, in this case, be that of finding white necked ravens for sale.

Alternatively, you can contact a conservancy that happens to have such white necked ravens. Then go through the motions of the white necked raven adoption process.

Final Verdict – Can I Own A Raven

In most places, it is not legal to own a raven. That is unless you happen to have a special conservation license: which tends to be notoriously hard to acquire.

Legal challenges aside, owning a raven as a pet is not easy. The raven requires a lot of care, which most people would struggle to provide.

Since the raven is a huge, social, migratory bird, satisfying all its needs in a domestic setting can be hard.

It doesn’t help that a raven is a noisy, uncomfortably curious, rough and sometimes violent bird.

On account of all these facts, owning a raven is not always a possibility.

However, if you insist on owning a raven, you typically have to start by obtaining a conservation license. Then you prepare the quarters in which the raven is to live.

Thereafter, you acquire the raven – say, by adopting one that is in need of care from a conservancy. 

For the average person though, owning a raven is not always a possibility.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet bird a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️