- Pyrrhocorax graculus
Description
ALSO KNOWN AS ALPINE CHOUGH
Identification
Range
Widespread and locally common in mountain areas of southern Europe, North-West Africa and South-West Asia. In Europe breeds in the Cantabrians, Sierra de Gredos and Pyrenees, in the Alps, Corsica and southern Italy, and in the mountain ranges of South-East Europe to southern Greece and Crete. Recently recorded in southern Spain where thought to be recent immigrants from Morocco. In North Africa breeds in the Rif and Atlas of central Morocco and in Asia in the mountains of eastern Turkey and the Caucasus, breeds in south-eastern Turkey and also occurs in the Middle East although current status unclear. Range extends eastwards across Central Asia to the Himalayas. Vagrants recorded in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Gibraltar, Cyprus and Armenia Resident with some atltiudinal movement in winter.
Habitat
Mountain pastures and meadows with neighbouring cliff faces and rocky outcrops, also around high-altitude human habitation such as ski resorts.
Subspecies Nominate occurs over much of Western Palearctic range with slightly larger digitatus in the Middle East and east to the Himalayas
