Page 368 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

CROWS
Order Passeriformes Family Corvidae Species Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Chough slightly curved,
tapered, bright
red bill
orange-red
bill, paler than
adult’s
long, square, fingered
wings (greyer flight
feathers below)
glossy black
body
ADULT

IN FLIGHT

JUVENILE

square red legs
tail

ADULT
uperficially like a Jackdaw
S(see p.368), the Chough is blacker,
glossier, and altogether more showy. It is also more
acrobatic in the air. It is usually found in small groups; where FLIGHT: exuberant, bouncy, aerobatic; soars well
Choughs are common, much bigger flocks form,often mixed with and often; deeply undulating at times; dives into
Alpine Choughs.These big flocks may roam widely over mountain caves or to cliff ledge with wings angled back.
pastures or through green valleys below
when peaks are in snow. In northwest
Europe, Choughs are more coastal and
always scarcer than in the mountains.
VOICE Loud calls distinctive, with
explosive, ringing, piercing quality,
pee-yaa or chia, some shorter chuk and
kwarr sounds.
NESTING Nest of sticks lined with wool
and hair, in sea cave and cavity in cliff or
old ruin; 3–5 eggs; 1 brood; May–July. AGILE BIRD
FEEDING Eats ants from old pastures, The aerobatic Chough makes long, steep, rapid
insects dug up from beneath soil, and descents and fast, upward swoops, in pairs or small
lichen on rocks, prised up with bill. flocks in concert.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds very locally on coasts of
ROOK ALPINE CHOUGH Ireland, W Britain, N and W France,
see p.369 thick, black bill rounder wings; and uplands of Spain, Portugal, S
larger thick, see p.367 yellow
whitish dark bill France, Italy, and Balkans. Frequents
face bill gorges, crags, high altitude pastures
larger and coastal cliffs, quarries, and
grassland; on beaches in winter.
rounder
tail Seen in the UK
CARRION CROW
see p.370 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 37–41cm (14 1 ⁄2 –16in) Wingspan 68–80cm (27–32in) Weight 280–360g (10–13oz)
Social Flocks Lifespan 5–10 years Status Vulnerable
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