33 



12. Alpine Chough, Pyrrhocorax graculus (L.). 



Plate 4, fig. 8 (Pyrenees), 9 — 11 (Parnassus). 



Eggs: Thienemann, Fortpfl., Tab. XLI, fig. 2, a— d. Baedeker, Tab. 28, 

 fig. 3. Seebohm, Brit. Birds, pi. 16; id. Col. Fig., pi. 55. 



Foreign Names: Bohemia: Kavce podhorni. Croatia: Colica, Capka. 

 France: Choquard, CJioiicas des Alpes. Germany: Alpendohle. Hungary: 

 Havasi csoka. Italy: Gracchio. Poland: Wronczyk zbltodzioby, Tyz. Russia: 

 KluscJiiza. Spain: Qralla de hech grocli, Oraja, Orajilla. 



Pyrrhocorax alpinns Vieill. Dresser, Birds of Europe, IV, p. 445; 

 id. Man. Pal. Birds, p. 406. P. gramlus (L.). Hartert, Vog. Pal. Fauna, p. 36, 



Breeding Range: Mountain ranges in Spain and Portugal, Pyrenees, 

 Alps, Apennines, Balkan peninsula and Caucasus. [In Asia, Palestine and 

 Asia Minor to the Himalayas.] 



In the Iberian peninsula the Alpine Chough is not uncommon locally 

 in the higher mountain ranges, such as the Sierra Nevada, S. de Credos, 

 etc., and has been recorded from Portugal (Rey), breeding as a rule at a 

 D-reater elevation than its congener. Colonies are also to be met with at 

 various points in the Pyrenees, sometimes together with P. pyrrhocorax (L.) 

 as in the gorges of Corsavi, but usually higher. It is met with on l)oth 

 the French and Spanish sides and is much the commoner species of the two, 

 A colony exists on the Breche de Roland at a height of 9500 ft. (Wallis), 

 In the Alpine region it is generally distributed throughout the Alps proper, 

 between the forest limit and the snow line, but is absent from the Jura, and 

 occurs in small numbers in the adjacent mountain districts of France, S. Ger- 

 many, Austria and Italy. In the last named country its range extends south- 

 ward to the Apuan Alps and the northern Apennines. Whitehead saw large 

 flocks in Corsica, but it appears to be absent from Sicily* and Sardinia. In 

 Austro-Hungary it is found in the Tatra Mts. (Wodzicki and Scherfel), on 

 the Rax-Alpe (Lower Austria) and locally in the Tyrol, southward to the 

 Dinaric Alps. Along the mountain ranges of Bosnia, Montenegro, Servia 

 and western Bulgaria (Rilo and Stara-Planina) it is generally distributed 

 and in many districts plentiful, and probably further research will prove 

 that it is present on all the principal ranges of the peninsula. In Greece 

 it is resident in all the mountains and is very numerous on Parnassus, the 

 Taygetos Mts., etc., and it has been observed in Albania. Bogdanow records 

 it from the Caucasus and Sabanaeff from the Urals. 



Usually built in some natural hole or fissure in the vast precipices Nest. 

 or gorges, which abound in the great mountain systems, and therefore 

 difficult of access even Avhere the birds are plentiful. Unlike the Red-billed 

 Chough, this species is not littoral in its habits during the breeding season 



* But see Whitaker, Birds of Tunisia, II, p. 8. 



