Races:
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax brachypus Swinhoe, 1871

Synonyms

Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax centralis Stresemann, 1928
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax stresemanni Keve, 1943

Description

Common resident. Inhabits alpine belt with rocky meadows at 1700-4000 m in Tien Shan and 1000-2500 m in Altai. In winter occurs near mountain settlements on scrap heaps, and rarely recorded in foothills. Breeding in small groups or colonies of roughly 50 pairs. Nest is built in cleft or crevice 2-20 m from cliff base, or in attic of building from thin twigs, dry grass lined with plenty of hair and a few feathers, or with moss, rootlets and grass by both pair members. Clutches of 4-6 eggs are laid early April – early May. Only female incubates over 17-18 days. Both parents feed juveniles, which fledge at 38 days, mid June – end July. For most of the year they occur in flocks of up to 200 birds.

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).

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005
Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.