BTO BirdFacts - Chough


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Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax [Linnaeus, 1758]


Other Names	Trends & Distribution	Breeding & Survival	Biometrics	Books & Links


	Order: Passeriformes	Family: Corvidae
	BTO Codes: CF, CHOUG	EURING No: 15590
	Number in Britain: 462 pairs (Summer)
	Conservation Status:
	UK: AMBER
	European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Declining
	Global: Least Concern
Links to: Images Videos Sound

Status in UK: (A) Resident Breeder
Subspecies: pyrrhocorax recorded in Britain (of 8 subsp. in the world)
.
Length: 40 cm	Wingspan: 82 cm	Weight: M/F: 310 g

Scientific name from:	Gr.: purrhos=flame-coloured + korax=raven
World Distribution:	Locally in Eurasia, Ethiopia

Habitat:	Open country, often rocky
Diet:	Soil-dwelling invertebrates, winter, also grain and berries, on open ground
TitBit:	Legend has it that when the Chough returns to breed in Cornwall, King Arthur will rise again. It is said he turned into a chough on his death, and the bird is included in the county arms. The first to breed there recently did so in 2001…

Population and Distribution

	Population Trend:	No population trend available
	Distribution:	No distribution maps available

British Population Size:

Summer: 428 to 496 pairs in 2002 Johnstone, I. et al. (2007) Bird Study 54:23-34

First Record: 10th Century [Fossil evidence from Ipswichian (last) interglacial, c. 125,000 yr ago]

Results from most recent national breeding survey

Latest Survey: Johnstone, I. et al. (2007) Bird Study 54:23-34

Conservation Status: AMBER because Species of European Concern, Eaton, M.A. et al. 2009. British Birds 102:296-341

Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER Gregory, R.D. et al. 2002. British Birds 95:410-448

1996-2001 AMBER Gibbons, D.W. et al. 1996. RSPB Conservation Review 10:7-18

Races of Concern: pyrrhocorax AMBER (European Concern)

Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):

No habitat data from BBS

European Population Size:

Summer: 28 to 85 thousand pairs Bufield, I. & Van Bommel, F. (2004) Birds in Europe. Birdlife International, Cambridge.

Population Assesment from Birds in Europe

Distribution in Europe

Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(I,IV), WBD(I), Bern(III)

Survey Results:


Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 39 x 28 mm	Egg Weight: 15.7 g (of which 6 % is shell)

Number of Nest Records: 28
Clutch Size: 3 - 5 eggs

Incubation: 17- 18 days		by the: Female
Fledging: 41 - 31days		as: Altricial, downy

First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1

Number Ringed: 260
Adult Survival: 0.800 ± 0.011
Juvenile Survival: 0.430 (in First-Year)

Age at First Breeding: 3 years	Typical Lifespan: 7 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 16yr 8m

Biometrics

Ring Size: E (pulli E or Fo)

Wing Length

Adult:

283.5 ± 12.0

Range

260 - 303 mm, N =71

Juvenile:

Insufficient Data.

Male:

292.5 ± 9.4

273 - 305 mm, N =34

Female:

275.9 ± 7.1

260 - 283 mm, N =34

Weight

Adult:

327.7 ± 35.72

Range

280.0 - 370.0 g , N =70

Juvenile:

Insufficient Data.

Male:

352.6 ± 33.90

306.0 - 389.0 g , N =33

Female:

304.5 ± 16.45 .

280.0 - 334.0 g , N =34

Source:

British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data


Other Names
Red-billed Chough


Gaelic: Cathag-dhearg-chasach	Welsh: Bran Goesgoch
Danish: Alpekrage	Dutch: Alpenkraai
Finnish: Alppivaris	French: Crave à bec rouge
German: Alpenkrähe	Hungarian: Havasi varjú
Icelandic: Bjargkorpungur	Irish: Cág Cosdearg
Italian: Gracchio corallino	Norwegian: Alpenkraai
Polish: Wronczyk	Portuguese: Gralha-de-bico-vermelho
Spanish: Chova piquiroja	Swedish: Alpkråka

Local Names: Fire Raven
Collective Noun: Clattering

For More Information...

Selected books on this species [number in square braces is the BTO library classmark, if it is held]

Books and Monographs:

No books written recently

See Also:

Wikipedia entry

State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead

BOU Register of Avian Theses entry

Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides.com

Selected scientific papers published 1980-2005

Find more papers on Google Scholar

Find more papers on Scirus


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These data should be cited as: Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.24, June 2009). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)		© British Trust for Ornithology, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU, UK. Terms and Conditions \| Privacy Statement Registered Charity Number 216652.
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