Bernd Heinrich, (2014), Ravens in Winter, page: 19, publisher: Simon & Schuster, ISBN: 1476794561 (1st edition, 1989)
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Despite all the caveats about the particular corvid or crow-like bird that may be called a "raven" (two species in North America, one in Europe, four in Africa, and three in Australia), in the public consciousness of Europe and America and in most of the extensive literature, raven refers to one species only: Corvus corax. It is this species that is the primary object of comment and observations in folklore ... The raven, C. corax, occupies an extraordinary geographical and ecological range. It is circumpolar, found even above the Arctic Circle and all the way south to the mountains of Central America.

— Bernd Heinrich on Ravens

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Despite all the caveats about the particular corvid or crow-like bird that may be called a "raven" (two species in North America, one in Europe, four in Africa, and three in Australia), in the public consciousness of Europe and America and in most of the extensive literature, raven refers to one species only: Corvus corax. It is this species that is the primary object of comment and observations in folklore ... The raven, C. corax, occupies an extraordinary geographical and ecological range. It is circumpolar, found even above the Arctic Circle and all the way south to the mountains of Central America." in the context of "Bernd Heinrich, (2014), Ravens in Winter, page: 19, publisher: Simon & Schuster, ISBN: 1476794561 (1st edition, 1989)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Ravens" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Bernd Heinrich

About Bernd Heinrich

Bernd Heinrich, Ph.D (born 19 April 1940) is a professor in the zoology department at the University of Vermont. He has authored books about nature writing, zoology, ecology, and evolution. His father was the ichneumon expert Gerd Heinrich (1896–1984).