Alpine Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus
LCLeast Concern
- Family
- Crows, Jays, and Magpies (Corvidae)
- Order
- Passeriformes
Overview
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.
This bird has glossy black plumage, a yellow beak, red legs, and distinctive calls.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Countries
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bhutan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- China
- Croatia
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lebanon
- Liechtenstein
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Nepal
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Poland
- Russia
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Alpine chough
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.