Enjoying the fun of the chase, I fossicked my way through my /Vogelgids
van Europa (Vogelgids)/, and came across the Alpenkraai /Pyyrhocorax
pyyrhocorax/
This is a black bird with red bill and red legs. The bill is slightly
decurved and is a slightly darker-toned red than the legs. Legs are
feathered as per Sue's pic. The vent and undertail coverts are black
and, in the Vogelgids' illustration, look scruffy. The darker and
lighter distribution of colour in the underwing pattern is consistent
with that of the Alpenkraai.
I then checked /Birds of Britain and Europe with North Africa and the
Middle East/ /(Birds)/ and found that /Pyyrhocorax pyyrhocorax/ is aka
the Chough - already raised and considered in this string but considered
an iffy proposition, if I recall correctly, on account of avoirdupois
distribution and a lack of aptitude for hovering. Sue's bird, if a hen,
could be demonstrating maternal malice, maternal indifference or
maternal incompetence. Getting a bit more anthropomorphic, the resigned
look on the chick's face indicates that it is probably not the first
time it has been used as a landing strip.
Based on the /Vogelgids/ and the /Birds/, Europe has some way to go as a
fully-integrated cultural and political entity:
Scientific name Dutch name Dutch name translated into
English English name
P. pyyrhocorax Alpenkraai Alpine
Crow Chough
P. graculus Alpenkauw Alpine Jackdaw
Alpine Chough
Corvus monedula Kauw Jackdaw
Jackdaw
Culturally, I think I may say that I have seen Choughs on the larger of
the two offshore islands and many Kauw, but not a single Alpenkraai on
the continent.
The Black Bulbul's undertail coverts are tidy, and grey with white scales.
I don't have guides for most islands, Indonesia, central/south asia, or
Central and South America, so am not sure if there are other candidates
from those parts of the world.
Con
John Leonard wrote:
I'll answer my own question: having scoured all the field guides I own
to places I can't afford to travel to I think it's a Black Bulbul
(India to S China, but only northern Indochina).
John L
On 9/20/07, *Steve Holliday* <
<>> wrote:
Beak is too long for a buffalo weaver, it doesn't match any
starling or
icterid either. I think Geoffroy is probably right, although, like
John, I
would have thought a chough would look chunkier.
cheers
Steve
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