Bird
Yellow-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculusAlso known as Alpine Chough
Yellow-billed choughs are acrobatic mountain corvids celebrated for their spectacular aerial displays, diving through sheer alpine ravines and surfing mountain updrafts with effortless mastery. Highly gregarious year-round, flocks forage along high-elevation meadows and rocky crags, often lingering boldly around ski lodges and hiking huts in search of food scraps. Pairs mate for life and nest in deep, sheltered fissures or inaccessible cliff caves far above the tree line.
High AltitudeAcrobaticSocial
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyGround Beetles, Grasshoppers, Juniper Berries
Predators
- Peregrine Falcon
- Golden Eagle
- Eurasian Eagle-Owl
ThreatsHabitat disruption from ski resort construction and changing alpine snowlines driven by climate change
HabitatsAlpine meadows, high-elevation scree, rocky cliffs, and montane pastures
Life span10–16 years
Classification
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyCorvidae
- GenusPyrrhocorax
- SpeciesPyrrhocorax graculus
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
- Observation Timing: Watch alpine peaks and ski resort terraces during midday when updrafts encourage aerial swooping.
- Feeding Etiquette: Avoid offering bread or processed human food, which harms their digestive health despite their bold begging behavior.
- Vocal Recognition: Listen for high-pitched, musical chirping and whistling flight calls distinct from typical harsh crow calls.
Competitor "Common Raven (Corvus corax)" by Franco Folini 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
Predator Mykola Swarnyk / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Frequent Companion (c) Paco Gómez, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Close Relative Alun Williams333 / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Same Family (c) Gergely Nigg, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Gergely Nigg · cc-by
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