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:

Plumage a mix of rusty, creamy brown and grey, resembling a nightjar. A rather unmistakable bird, despite the lack of striking plumage features. Behaviour both passerine- and woodpecker-like, but with less woodpecker-like tree clinging. Often feeds on the ground. May give a reptile-like impression.

Sound:

Normally silent when not breeding. Song (both sexes): an insisting, Merlin- or Lesser Spotted Woodpecker-like series of plaintive "kee kee kee kee kee ". First slightly ascending, then descending. Other sounds: a guttural "gru", and hissing sounds when threatened.

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

Featherbase

CC