Red-Billed Chough

Scan coastal cliffs, sea caves and rocky, sheep-grazed uplands across parts of western Europe, North Africa and Asia for this glossy black corvid with its curved red bill, listen for its distinctive ringing, high-pitched call as it tumbles and soars on updrafts. It forages on the ground for invertebrates, often probing short-cropped turf near cliff edges, and is most active and vocal in calm, sunny weather when it uses thermals for aerobatic flight. Spring is the best time to see displaying pairs near breeding cliffs.