Wither Ravens and Conspiracies

When out at sea without any sight of land, the presence of birds is a sign that land is nearby. Their direction of flight can even indicate which direction land is.

Wither ravens serve a similar purpose. They can be found scouring the Nether within 100 blocks of a Nether Fortress. Wither ravens will pick up shiny and valuable items on the floor and then fly back home. In this case their home is in the raven tower of a Nether Fortress.

You will see ravens flying circles around the top where there is a giant loft. Inside, the floor is littered with the loot they bring back. They automatically drop items near the raven nest, the actual block that defines the raven's home. There can be more than one tower, or none at all so there will be no ravens to reveal the fortress.

A flock of ravens is called a conspiracy and if you breed Wither ravens with nether wart, you can start your very own. If you name a nest, it will appear on the ravens, so when you look at them you know which conspiracy they belong to. Ravens are intelligent and remembers players, if you attack one, they will still eat your food but you will never tame them. Tamed ravens will have a colored band on their leg that can be dyed like dog collars.

The raven's ability to hold items and find their way home is useful because you can use them to deliver bundles or important items. Since they are your pets, you will know if they are intercepted and killed. You can also use them for racing.