Bird
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocoraxAlso known as Cornish Chough, Chough
Red-billed choughs perform breathtaking aerial acrobatics along windy coastal cliffs and high mountain pastures, riding thermals with exceptional agility. Pairs mate for life and maintain continuous territories, using their long, curved red bills to probe soil for subterranean insect larvae. Despite their vast Eurasian range, local populations remain vulnerable to changes in traditional livestock grazing that maintain their short-turf feeding grounds.
AcrobaticCliff-DwellerSocial
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyDung Beetles, Leatherjackets, Earthworms
Predators
- Peregrine Falcon
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl
- Red Fox
ThreatsAgricultural intensification, scrub encroachment, and loss of traditional livestock grazing
HabitatsCoastal cliffs, mountain pastures, alpine meadows, and rocky gorges
Life span7–15 years
Classification
- FamilyCorvidae
- SpeciesPyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Observe Aerobatics: Look for pairs tumbling and diving together in strong coastal breezes.
- Listen for Calls: Listen for their loud, ringing 'chee-aw' calls echoing off rock faces.
- Respect Nest Sites: Keep a quiet distance from cliff crevices during the spring breeding season.
Predator Mykola Swarnyk / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Competitor "Western jackdaw" by hedera.baltica is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/. · cc-by-sa
Close Relative no rights reserved, uploaded by Dario Taraborelli · cc0
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