Appearance:

All black plumage, red legs and relatively short and straight, yellow bill. Note that immature Red-billed Chough has yellowish-brown bill, but never as pure yellow as in Alpine Chough, and the whole bill is curved. Easily confused with Red-billed Chough at a distance where both species occur, but note more narrow, less fingered wings, and longer, more rounded tail. Resembles Jackdaw in size, but flying Alpine Choughs differs by two-toned underparts of wings (darker coverts). Flight acrobatic, but a little more stilted than Red-billed Chough.

Sound:

Diagnostic and very different from Red-billed Chough. A sharp, quite high-pitched, whistling trill "chreeeee". Usually alternated with pure-toned high-pitched whistles, falling abruptly in pitch with a "clipping" ending.

Contact call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Appearance:

Breeding plumaged adults with streamers unmistakable (streamers comprising two thirds of total tail length). Adult plumage shows less variation than in other skuas. No hint of breast band, and transition between pale belly and darker vent very diffuse. No white patches at base of primaries of underwing in adults. Juveniles easily confused with juvenile Arctic Skua, but are more slender. Wings narrower and primaries and tail longer. Juvenile Arctic Skua shows white patches at base of primaries on both sides of wings, juvenile Long-tailed only on underwing, and on first few primaries of upper. Barred rump and tail coverts in juveniles. Flight elegant and buoyant.

Sound:

Calls sharp and less full-bodied than Arctic Skua, and not so mewing. Short, double-accented "kew-wev" or short "kerk" in agitation. Also a long drawn-out "keeeeaah", resembling both Arctic Skua and Common Gull.

Alarm/flight call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Sounds:Recorded by Andrew Spencer,http://www.xeno-canto.org ,CC license