The raven (Corvus corax) is a large, black-feathered bird of the crow family Corvidae. Ravens feed primarily by scavenging on carrion (dead animals). This has lead to them representing death in European cultures, although to the Tsimshian and Tlingit Native Americans tribes of Washington State (and probably many other tribes), the raven is the Creator god.
A raven is the subject of the poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe.