The Alpine chough or yellow-billed chough is a bird in the crow family, one of only two species in the genus Pyrrhocorax. Its two subspecies breed in high mountains from Spain eastwards through southern Europe and North Africa to Central Asia and Nepal, and it may nest at a higher altitude than any other bird. Its eggs have adaptations to the thin atmosphere that improve oxygen take-up and reduce water loss.
Region
Eurasian high mountains (Alps to Himalayas)
Typical Environment
Breeds in the high mountains from the Iberian Peninsula and the Alps through the Balkans and Caucasus to the Atlas Mountains and across Central Asia to the Himalayas. It favors cliffs, crags, and alpine and subalpine meadows near steep rocky faces. Outside the breeding season it often descends to valleys, villages, and ski resorts to forage. Roosts and nests in crevices, caves, buildings, and cliff holes. Frequently exploits human-modified alpine landscapes where food is available.
Altitude Range
1200–6500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Also called the yellow-billed chough, it is famed for nesting and foraging at extreme altitudes, sometimes higher than any other passerine. Its eggs are adapted to thin air, improving oxygen uptake and reducing water loss. Agile and fearless around people, it often patrols ski areas and mountain huts, performing acrobatic flight in strong updrafts. The bright yellow bill and red legs distinguish it from the red-billed chough.
The red-billed chough (P. pyrrhocorax — left) has deeper wing "fingers" and tail wedge in flight than the Alpine (on right), and its wings extend to or beyond the tail tip when standing.
In-flight in northern Alps, France
From North Sikkim, India.
Cliffs with nearby alpine pasture provide nesting sites.
![Eggs vary from cream to buff to light-green, and have brown speckles.[4]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Alpendohle_Ei-3c.jpg)
Eggs vary from cream to buff to light-green, and have brown speckles.[4]
A chough probably looking for supplementary food is perching on a railing alongside visitors to Gornergrat, high in the Swiss Alps
Mobbing a Eurasian sparrowhawk
In the Alps, Innsbruck, Austria
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
buoyant and acrobatic flier using updrafts; swift wingbeats with agile glides and tight turns
Social Behavior
Often forms loose to large flocks outside the breeding season, especially around feeding sites. Pairs are generally monogamous and nest in cavities on cliffs, in caves, or in buildings. Colonially inclined where suitable nest sites cluster, with strong site fidelity.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Calls are clear, ringing whistles and fluty 'chee-oo' notes that carry far in mountain air. Vocalizations are lively and social, with softer chatters at close range and sharper contact calls in flight.
