Appearance:

All 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

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

Appearance:

Large and rather heavy bunting with yellow bill in all plumages. Head of breeding male brightly tricoloured in black, white and warm, rufous brown. Female similar to male, but much duller coloured, and with black parts speckled. All adults show rufous hind-neck. Juveniles show rufous greater coverts and may be confused with Reed Bunting. Differs from RB in yellow bill, dark spots on chest and cleaner markings on cheeks. Often runs along the ground like a mouse.

Sound:

Song: a short, creaky, brittle phrase, rich in harmonics; "kril-trrlrtt-ti-trlllkrlltrrt". Somewhat reminiscent of Horned Lark, but without its hesitating intro. In form a bit like Snow Bunting, but much less clear tones. Call: A Snow Bunting-like "prrrrit", but tone harder. Also a Snow Bunting-like "pjuu". Other sounds: soft, whistling calls reminiscent of Bullfinch, but with richer harmonics.

Song:

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

CC