Status Alpine chough

in alps, innsbruck, austria

the alpine chough has extensive though fragmented range, estimated @ 1–10 million square kilometres (0.4–3.8 million sq mi), , large population, including estimated 260,000 620,000 individuals in europe. corsican population has been estimated comprise 2,500 birds. on range whole, species not believed approach thresholds global population decline criteria of iucn red list (i.e., declining more 30% in ten years or 3 generations), , therefore evaluated least concern.

at greatest extent of last glacial period around 18,000 years ago, southern europe characterised cold open habitats, , alpine chough found far south southern italy, outside current range. of these peripheral prehistoric populations persisted until recently, disappear within last couple of centuries. in polish tatra mountains, population had survived since glacial period, not found breeding bird after 19th century. in bulgaria, number of breeding sites fell 77 between 1950 , 1981 14 in 1996 2006 period, , number of pairs in remaining colonies smaller. decline thought due loss of former open grasslands had reverted scrubby vegetation once extensive cattle grazing ceased. foraging habitat can lost human activities such construction of ski resorts , other tourist development on former alpine meadows. populations of choughs stable or increasing in areas traditional pastoral or other low intensity agriculture persists, declining or have become locally extinct intensive farming methods have been introduced, such brittany, england, south-west portugal , mainland scotland.

choughs can locally threatened accumulation of pesticides , heavy metals in mountain soils, heavy rain, shooting , other human disturbances, longer-term threat comes global warming, cause species preferred alpine climate zone shift higher, more restricted areas, or locally disappear entirely. fossils of both chough species found in mountains of canary islands. local extinction of alpine chough , reduced range of red-billed chough in islands may have been due climate change or human activity.