Raven Shakes His Tail Feathers Every Time He Sees Dad

The Raven Who Wags His Tail: A Heartwarming Tale of an Unlikely Friendship

In the world of animal communication, we’ve come to understand certain signals instinctively. A dog’s wagging tail means happiness, a cat’s purr signifies contentment. But in a quiet home, a far more unusual and deeply touching greeting takes place—one that challenges our assumptions about our feathered friends. Every time a man named Mark walks into the room, his companion, a magnificent raven simply named “Raven,” does something extraordinary: he shakes his tail feathers.

It’s not a simple ruffle or a preening adjustment. It’s a deliberate, quick, excited shimmy that vibrates from his body through the tips of his long, glossy tail feathers. For those who witness it, the comparison is immediate and undeniable: It looks just like a dog wagging its tail.

“The first time he did it, I thought I was imagining things,” Mark says with a laugh. “I’d just come home from work, and as I walked over to his enclosure to say hello, his whole back end started wiggling. Now, it’s his standard greeting. It’s how I know he’s missed me.”

Raven came to Mark as a fledgling, having fallen from his nest with a badly injured wing. Under the care of a local wildlife rehabilitator, it was determined that the wing would never heal properly enough for him to survive in the wild. With the proper permits and a deep commitment, Mark became his permanent caretaker.

What followed was the forging of a remarkable bond. Ravens, and their corvid cousins, are known for their staggering intelligence. They can solve complex puzzles, use tools, remember human faces for years, and even hold grudges. But what is often overlooked is their capacity for deep social and emotional connections.

According to Dr. Kaeli Swift, a corvid behavior expert, while tail-flicking can be a sign of agitation or a component of a dominance display in the wild, this specific, repeated, happy-looking shake is different.

“What we’re likely seeing here is a ‘pidgin’ language developing between two individuals of different species,” Dr. Swift explains. “This raven has associated the arrival of his favorite person—a source of food, comfort, and companionship—with an overwhelming feeling of excitement. He is physically expressing that joy in a way that is unique to his relationship with Mark. It’s the corvid equivalent of a human breaking into a huge smile when a loved one enters the room.”

This unique greeting is often accompanied by a series of soft, gurgling coos and clicks, a private vocabulary understood only by the two of them. While Raven can mimic the phone ringing and the cat’s meow with startling accuracy, his most authentic sounds are reserved for Mark.

The daily routine is a testament to their connection. In the morning, the tail-feather shake begins the moment Raven hears Mark’s footsteps. It continues during feeding time and is most enthusiastic during their “play sessions,” where Mark hides treats and Raven expertly finds them.

This simple, repeated gesture from a wild creature serves as a powerful reminder that the bonds of love and friendship aren’t confined by species. Raven, with his intelligent, knowing eyes and his happy, wiggling tail, has created his own way to say what words cannot. In a shake of his iridescent black feathers, he communicates a clear and profound message: “You’re home. I’m so glad to see you.” And for Mark, it’s the best welcome in the world.