Alpine Chough

Pyrrhocorax graculus

Nests higher than any other bird, including near the summit of Everest. Your message has altitude clearance.

Population: Global: ~1.09–2.75 million mature individuals (BirdLife/IUCN 2018 estimate, poor data quality); European subpopulation ~218,000–550,000 mature individuals (~20% of global range)
Habitat: High-altitude mountain environments — alpine pastures, rocky/cliff terrain and scree above the treeline in summer, descending to upper valleys in winter. Breeding altitude varies by region: ~1,260–2,880 m in Europe, ~2,880–3,900 m in North Africa, ~3,500–5,000 m in Central Asia/Himalayas; foraging/roaming records up to 8,235 m (following mountaineers on Mount Everest) and a nest recorded at 6,500 m — the highest-altitude nesting site documented for any bird.
Fun fact: The Alpine Chough holds the record for highest-altitude nesting of any bird species (a nest documented at 6,500 m), and flocks have been observed foraging/following mountaineers as high as 8,235 m on Mount Everest.
Range: Mountain ranges from Iberia and Morocco eastward through the Alps, Corsica, Crete, the Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asian ranges to the Himalayas and western China; Extent of Occurrence (resident/breeding) ~21,300,000 km².
Diet: Invertebrates (beetles, snails, grasshoppers, caterpillars, fly larvae) in summer; fruit and berries (e.g. hackberry, sea-buckthorn), rose hips, and domesticated crops (apples, grapes, pears) in winter, supplemented by scavenged food near tourist/mountaineering sites.
Size: 0.38 m
Wingspan: 0.8 m
Lifespan: 24.4 years

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