Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)
Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
Heavily streaked sparrow with diagnostic combination of broad, strong supercilium and white spots at end of tail. Bill deep and cone-shaped with yellow to pinkish base. Primary projection very long. End of under tail coverts pale, giving the bird a broadly barred rump. The white pearls on the short tail and the long wings are conspicuous in flight. Adults with yellow throat-patch, although this is often hidden in many postures. Agile flight, much superior to Passer with regards to both speed and maneuverability.
Sound:Large repertoire of calls of which many recalls Passer, but all with a nasal timbre. Main contact call a nasal "peey-u", rising sharply in pitch and then ending one note lower on the last syllable. Recalls alarm call of Serin in timbre. Sometimes given with only the first syllable. Also a short and explosive "pit", and many less distinct calls when interacting.
Main contact call:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCAll black plumage, red legs and long, curved, red bill. Bill of juveniles yellowish-brown and shorter. Though never as pure yellow as in Alpine Chough, and more curved. Easily confused with Alpine Chough at a distance where both species occur, but note broader, more fingered wings, shorter and squarer tail with broader base and different calls. Flight extremely acrobatic.
Sound:Call: A rapidly descending "keeaaaw", sometimes resembling a coarse jackdaw. At other times a more mewing sound, with similar coarseness, or a sharper, descending "kieew". Easily distinguished from the thin, trilling, whistling sounds of Alpine Chough.
Contact call:
Distribution:
Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC