Ravens in the Mojave Wasteland have an almost identical appearance to ravens from before the Great War. They are one of the few creatures to be visually unaffected by radiation.
Characteristics
Biology
Ravens have distinctive black feathers and two frontal talons on their feet that resemble their pre-War counterpart.
Gameplay attributes
They are not considered an enemy and will fly away if the Courier tries to get near them (approximately 10–15 feet). They can be killed if detected early enough, but there are no associated challenges for killing them other than those that involve killing any creature, such as Lord Death and I Dismember You. They will explode when shot, similar to how other characters will explode when the player character has the Bloody Mess perk, but Bloody Mess is not required for them to explode. Ravens are the weakest creatures in the game, and cannot be targeted using V.A.T.S.
They appear as friendly on the compass and may remain that way for a few seconds after they fly away.
With the Animal Friend perk, the ravens might not fly off when approached.
The first raven in Fallout: New Vegas is seen flying off when exiting Doc Mitchell's house.
If a raven is damaged but not killed (for example, by an explosion nearby), they will register as a red blip on the compass, as a hostile would.
Despite having a melee damage and being capable of turning hostile, ravens will never attack the player character. If harmed by the player character, they will fly away, similar to how they would if the player character came too close.
Ravens can still be shot midair when they fly away.
PCPlaystation 3Xbox 360 Even if the raven is in mid-air, if you hit the area it was originally standing on (a few seconds after it takes off) it will still be killed and "dismembered" even though your hit did not visually make contact. This makes it possible to kill it with melee or unarmed weapons. [verified]
PCPlaystation 3Xbox 360 If you kill a raven while looking down the sights, as soon as you shoot it, the iron sight animation will glitch, and you will appear to be holding the gun lower than normal. Releasing the aim button will fix this, and has not occurred when killing any other creatures or enemies in the game. [verified]
Even if the raven is in mid-air, if you hit the area it was originally standing on (a few seconds after it takes off) it will still be killed and "dismembered" even though your hit did not visually make contact. This makes it possible to kill it with melee or unarmed weapons. [verified]