Red-billed Chough

Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (Linnaeus, 1758)

		adult juveniles in flight
2013-03-15 Oktyabr village, Almaty region 2007-06-10 Big Almaty Lake, Ile-Alatau National Park2012-08-12 Kosmostantsia, Ile-Alatau National Park.	© Vassiliy Fedorenko © Andrey Kovalenko© Askar Isabekov

Distribution

Breeding in Tien Shan (Talasskiy, Kirgizskiy, Zailiyskiy, Terskey, Kungey and Ketmen ridges), Dzhungarskiy Alatau, Tarbagatay, Saur, in southern Altai (Kurchumskiy ridge, Azutau, Sorvenkovskiy Belok) and on western spurs of Narymskiy ridge. During autumn and winter wandering birds observed in lower belts of mountains (once at first half of March 1928 in Ust-Kamenogorsk).

Biology

Common resident. Inhabits the alpine belt with rocky meadows at 1700-4000 m in Tien Shan and 1000-2500 m in Altai. In winter occurs on trash heaps in the human settlements in mountain, and rare recorded in foothills. Breeding in small groups or colonies of about 50 pairs. Nest is located in cleft or break of cliff at height 2-20 m from the cliff base, or in attic of the human building; nest is built from the thin twigs, dry grass and is lined with plenty of hair and some feathers, or with moss, rootlets and grass by both parents. Clutch of 4-6 eggs is laid in early April – early May. Only female incubates over 17-18 days. Both parents feed juveniles, which fledge at age of 38 days, in mid June to end of July. During most of the year occurs in flocks of up to 200 birds.

Subspecies

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. "Птицы Казахстана" том 5. Издательство "Наука" Казахской ССР. Алма-Ата, 1974.