Bird Album
Alpine Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus (Linnaeus, 1766)
≈41 cmLength211 gWeight
It is a glossy black chough with a yellow bill and red legs, flying nimbly and soaring on updrafts along cliffs.
Busiest months: May · Most records: Morocco, China, Georgia
Looks like Red-billed Chough, Western Jackdaw
How to identify
Field marks
- Black overall with metallic gloss
- Bill short and yellow
- Legs and feet red
- Wings less square and tail longer than in Red-billed Chough
Male, female and young
Sexes identical in appearance, with the male slightly larger on average; juveniles are duller, with a dull yellow bill and brown legs.
Voice
An undulating “preep” and a whistled “sweeeooo”, with a rolling “churr” when alarmed.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: May · Most records: Morocco, China, Georgia
Alpine Chough has been recorded at 155 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 22 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Vallée d'OukaïmedenMorocco831 records
- Mt. Kuro slopesGeorgia207 records
- Balang Shan [General Area]China168 records
More places
- InnsbruckAustria165 records
- Balang Shan PassChina152 records
- KotorMontenegro106 records
- Ile-Alatau NP – Kosmos StationKazakhstan93 records
- El Pas de la CasaAndorra66 records
- Sedlo pod Golico | Golica saddleSlovenia58 records
- Kanda MountainChina49 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Alpine chough (chuf) or yellow-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax. Its two subspecies breed in high mountains from Spain eastwards through southern Europe and North Africa to Central Asia and Nepal, and it may nest at a higher altitude than any other bird. Its eggs have adaptations to the thin atmosphere that improve oxygen take-up and reduce water loss.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Alpine Chough?
The Alpine Chough is about ≈41 cm long and weighs around 211 g.
Where does the Alpine Chough live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: southern, south-central, also northern Africa. It is most often recorded in Morocco, China and Georgia.
When is the best time to see the Alpine Chough?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Alpine Chough endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Alpine Chough as Least Concern.
What does the Alpine Chough eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Alpine Chough in?
It belongs to the family Crows, Jays (Corvidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈41 cm
- Weight
- 211 g
- Habitat
- Rocky terrain
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 267 mm
- Tail
- 164 mm
- Bill
- 36 mm
- Tarsus
- 44 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: southern, south-central, also northern Africa
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Crows, Jays Corvidae
- Genus
- Pyrrhocorax
Other birds in the genus Pyrrhocorax
Red-billed ChoughPyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Malayan Black MagpiePlatysmurus leucopterus
Bornean Black MagpiePlatysmurus aterrimus
Siberian JayPerisoreus infaustus
Sichuan JayPerisoreus internigrans
Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis
Black-collared JayCyanolyca armillata
White-collared JayCyanolyca viridicyanus
Turquoise JayCyanolyca turcosa
Beautiful JayCyanolyca pulchra
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Jim Higham. ↗
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