Wildlifeof Bhutan
Alpine Chough
Crows, Drongos, Orioles & ShrikesPyrrhocorax graculus
Basic stats
Diet
Mainly invertebrates in summer; fruit in winter
Habitat
High mountains; caves and cliff crevices; may nest higher than any other bird
Range
High mountains from Spain east through southern Europe and North Africa to Central Asia and Nepal
Clutch size
3–5 brown-blotched whitish eggs
Size
37–39cm
Wingspan
75–85cm
The Alpine chough, or yellow-billed chough, is a crow-family bird with glossy black plumage, a short yellow bill and red legs. It is 37 to 39cm long with a wingspan of 75 to 85cm, slightly smaller than the red-billed chough but with a proportionally longer tail and shorter wings. The juvenile is duller, with a dull yellow bill and brownish legs (Wikipedia, general species account).
It breeds in high mountains from Spain eastwards through southern Europe and North Africa to Central Asia and Nepal, and may nest at a higher altitude than any other bird; its eggs have adaptations to the thin air. It pairs for life and uses a cave or crevice in a cliff, building a lined stick nest with three to five eggs. It feeds in flocks on short grazed grassland and readily approaches tourist sites for food.
Quick answers
- What does the Alpine Chough eat?
- Mainly invertebrates in summer; fruit in winter
- What habitat does the Alpine Chough live in?
- High mountains; caves and cliff crevices; may nest higher than any other bird
- Where is the Alpine Chough found?
- High mountains from Spain east through southern Europe and North Africa to Central Asia and Nepal
- How many eggs does the Alpine Chough lay?
- 3–5 brown-blotched whitish eggs
- How big is the Alpine Chough?
- 37–39cm
- What is the wingspan of the Alpine Chough?
- 75–85cm