Wildlifeof Nepal
Red-billed Chough
Crows, Drongos, Orioles & Shrikes
Photo: (c) Syd Cannings, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Basic stats
Diet
Mainly invertebrate prey, on short grazed grassland, often in flocks
Habitat
High mountains and coastal cliffs; mainly 2,400–3,000m in the Himalaya; nests in a cave or crevice in a cliff face
Clutch size
3–5 eggs, about 3.9 × 2.8cm
Incubation period
Chicks fledge 31–41 days after hatching
The red-billed chough, or Cornish chough, is a crow-family bird with glossy black plumage, a long curved red bill, red legs and a loud, ringing call. It pairs for life and shows fidelity to its breeding site, usually a cave or crevice in a cliff face. The plumage is velvet-black, green-glossed on the body (Wikipedia, general species account).
Its main habitat is high mountains, mainly 2,400–3,000 m in the Himalaya. It feeds, often in flocks, on short grazed grassland, taking mainly invertebrates. It builds a wool-lined stick nest and lays three to five eggs; chicks fledge 31–41 days after hatching. It is a non-migratory resident throughout its range, and its ringing chee-ow call is clearer and louder than the jackdaw's (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Red-billed Chough eat?
- Mainly invertebrate prey, on short grazed grassland, often in flocks
- What habitat does the Red-billed Chough live in?
- High mountains and coastal cliffs; mainly 2,400–3,000m in the Himalaya; nests in a cave or crevice in a cliff face
- How many eggs does the Red-billed Chough lay?
- 3–5 eggs, about 3.9 × 2.8cm
- How long are the eggs of the Red-billed Chough incubated?
- Chicks fledge 31–41 days after hatching