The number of ravens at the Tower of London has grown by two! Learn the names of the additions to the all-important group of corvids.
2 New Raven Chicks Debut at Tower of London
Published on May 22, 2025
We humans get awfully excited about new baby animals — for proof, look no further than Moo Deng, the too-cute pygmy hippopotamus that took the internet by storm last year. This year, the baby-animals adoration just might shift to London. The iconic Tower of London is welcoming two new raven chicks to its cast of delightful corvids. Here’s why those Tower ravens are so important… and perhaps even more importantly, learn their names.
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Meet the Tower’s New Raven Chicks
Brace yourself for the cuteness. The Tower’s two new additions to its raven brigade are Henry — named for various Henrys of historical and royal importance — and Poe, named after Edgar Allan Poe. (It’s a fitting name, we think. Perhaps he’ll learn to say “nevermore.”)
Born in April as part of the Tower’s longstanding raven breeding program, the duo of new ravens joins the rest of the group on the historic grounds. If you were curious, the other ravens’ names are Harris, Poppy, Georgie, Edgar, Chaos, and Jubilee.
Psst—baby crows are much cuter than you think.
Who Takes Care of the Ravens?
The Tower of London’s ravens receive care from the Tower’s Ravenmaster Barney Chandler, and a team of devoted handlers. The ravens snack on raw meat, a once-a-week egg, and occasionally, blood-soaked biscuits.
Why Does the Tower of London Have Ravens?
The Tower of London’s ravens have a very important job. According to legend, there must always be six ravens at the Tower; otherwise, the kingdom and the Tower of London will fall. Yikes!
It’s not necessarily clear where that legend originated, but it’s believed to have begun in the 17th century with King Charles II. Charles’ astronomer complained about the ravens having a negative effect on his ability to do his job, but after being warned of dire consequences if the ravens left the Tower, the king insisted on them remaining.
Whether or not you believe London would fall if one of the birds flew away, the Tower and city are currently in no raven-based peril. With Henry and Poe, the raven count reaches eight — the required six, and two more, just in case.
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Sources
- BBC, “Two new raven chicks arrive at the Tower of London“
- Historic Royal Palaces, “The ravens“
