Surprizingly, Rowena Ravenclaw's emblem was an eagle, and not a raven, compared to Salazar, Godric and Helena, it almost seems odd the change in what her symbol is, and there is not much reason given to the selection of an eagle over a raven, because, if one were to think about it, both would be associated with the air, with taking off to high places, and the eagle doesn't have the benefit of the Raven in being a familiar that is known in popular media to be associated with witches and wizards. For that matter, one may think that if all was wished was an association with the air, an owl would have been a suitable emblem for Ravenclaw, and it connected with the idea of wisdom as well. So why an eagle?
I think the selection can be reasoned out as the following, the eagle, unlike ravens, does not have a "dark" connotation, and while both have been seen as messengers in greco-roman mythology, the eagle has a connection with an idea known as "perspicacity." Perspicacity is a sort of inner clarity and understanding, associated with the eagle because of it's incredible eyesight, and this seems to be the logical explanation of why the eagle is chosen as the house animal for Ravenclaw. While the raven may be suited better due to being a "familiar" face in witchcraft stories, they don't have the same keen eyes as an eagle.
Looking at a few house members for Ravenclaw, this becomes more evident as we look at Luna Lovegood, who, while she is a bit of an odd-ball at times, she seems to possess a large amount of understanding, not necessarily in subjects, but in the way her world works, and seems to take it all in stride. So even while she may be moderately... loony, she seems to understand the world very well, in a way that other houses don't seem to connect to.
If you all like this one, let me know if you want other analysis bits of house animals and why things seem to be the way they are.
A very common question in our common room is 'Why is our emblem an eagle and not a raven?' Or, those who persist in addressing the common room as 'Ravens' and continue to do so despite being told that we are Eagles. Telling them that the Gryffindor emblem is a lion not a griffin often has little effect to dissuade them of the habit. - Enigma
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