Raven

"Oracle of the Stars...Mario comes to this island."

- Raven

Ravens are black, flightless birds that seem to be both allies and enemies of Mario. Although they are called Ravens, they have little in common with the, aside from their black coloration and "caw" sound. The Ravens of the Mario franchise are slow-moving, wingless, and have elliptical orange beaks. Paper Mario was the only game to depict them flying.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island / Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
Ravens first appear in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (and would later appear in Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3) in the level Shifting Platforms Ahead. They can be found walking around large floating globes resembling the moon. If they run into Yoshi, they knock Baby Mario off his back. Yoshi can defeat them by stomping on their heads or by throwing an egg at them. He can also eat them, but will swallow them automatically without making an egg. A large Raven named Raphael the Raven is fought as a boss on the moon over his castle. A small version of this enemy is considered as a normal Raven in the Player Guide.

Yoshi's New Island
Ravens return as enemies in Yoshi's New Island, only in the level Eggstraordinary Terrain. Overall, they act the same as in their previous appearances in the Yoshi's Island series. However, upon eating a Raven, Yoshi will automatically ingest it and turn it into an egg.

Yoshi's Story
Ravens make a return appearance in Yoshi's Story. In the game, they act the same way as they did in their past appearance, but are immune to all of Yoshi's attacks. They appear in the Tall Tower stage, alongside ComBats. They commonly have Melons on the rocks they walked on, and make a squeaking noise as they did so.

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy
Ravens appear as enemies in Yoshi Topsy-Turvy within the Forbidden Pop-Up Book, which is where the game takes place. They stand about as half as tall as Yoshi, and are always continuously walking. They are not affected by gravity, which is a primary focus of the game. Likewise, they are able to walk along walls and across the ceiling. Yoshi can jump on their head to defeat them. If Yoshi is to come into contact with the side of a Raven, he will lose three points from his Health Meter. Ravens are most commonly seen during the Tale of the Spirit of Power and the Tale of the Spirit of Kindness missions.

Yoshi's Crafted World
Ravens reappear in Yoshi's Crafted World. Here they appear to be made of upside down balloons as their body.

Paper Mario
In Paper Mario, a friendly group of Ravens can be encountered on Lavalava Island. These Ravens (including Raphael the Raven himself) help Mario and his party reach Mt. Lavalava. This games also proves that Ravens have their own language (which mostly consists of the word "caw"), although some are bilingual and can speak in human languages. The Ravens in this game also have the ability to fly by flapping their feet.