Alpine Chough
Pyrrhocorax graculus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyCorvidae (Còrvids)
- GenusPyrrhocorax (Choughs)
- SpeciesPyrrhocorax graculus (Alpine Chough)
The Alpine chough (; chuf) or yellow-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) 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. This bird has glossy black plumage, a yellow beak, red legs, and distinctive calls. It has a buoyant acrobatic flight with widely spread flight feathers. The Alpine chough pairs for life and displays fidelity to its breeding site, which is usually a cave or crevice in a cliff face. Wikipedia →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Alpine Chough sighting in Mercantour National Park, based on 80 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Mercantour National Park
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandarius
Eurasian Magpie
Pica pica
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Eurasian Nutcracker
Nucifraga caryocatactes
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornix
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Black Redstart
Phoenicurus ochruros
Great Tit
Parus major
Eurasian Blackbird
Turdus merula
European Robin
Erithacus rubecula
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 5 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 6 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 9 | Khangchendzonga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Hemis National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Alpine Chough in Mercantour National Park?
About 24% of wildlife watchers report a Alpine Chough sighting in Mercantour National Park, based on 80 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Alpine Chough in Mercantour National Park?
July has the highest sighting rate for Alpine Chough in Mercantour National Park in our monthly data.