Red Billed Chough

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Verdon, April 2010

Bird name: Red Billed Chough
Latin: Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Other: Chough • Crave à bec rouge (Fr) • Chova piquirroja (Es) • Gracchio corallino (It) • Alpenkrähe (De)
Family: Corvidae • Crows, Choughs
Range:
Similar:

The Red-billed Chough, or simply Chough, is not common in central Europe but can be found in scattered populations.

A large group was seen here in the Gorges du Verdon, at 1200m, where they live on the vertical walls of the gorge - a good place to see them in France.

The range of the Chough extends all the way from Spain to the eastern Himalayas, with a few colonies in Africa.

Choughs are typically high mountain birds, but will breed on steep rock walls even on the coast.

They can be distinguished from the similar Alpine Chough by their red (not yellow) bills, although juvenile Choughs have yellow bills. Choughs’ bills are long and curved. Feet are also red.