The Common Raven, Corvus corax, is one of my favorite birds and I am thankful that raven populations have increased in recent decades. While historians believe ravens were common throughout the Mid-Atlantic region centuries ago, persecution and especially the widespread destruction of our forests during the lumbering era resulted in almost total extermination of the species. At some point after the woodlands regenerated, ravens began repopulating Penn’s Woods and the population has steadily expanded since the late years of the 20th Century. Written By Glen-Clayton Johnson .