chough n : a European corvine bird of small or medium size with red legs and glossy black plumage

English

Etymology

Middle English choȝe, apparently from West *|kāwa though not present in Old English. Cognate with Dutch kauw.

Pronunciation

/tʃʌf/

Homophones

• chuff

Noun

1. A crow, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, of Eurasia that breeds mainly in high mountains and on coastal sea cliffs.

Translations

• Russian: клушица (klúšica)
• Spanish: chova

Derived terms

• alpine chough

Chough is the genus Pyrrhocorax of birds in the Corvidae (crow) family.

They are predominantly black in colour with brightly coloured legs, feet, and bills. They have long broad wings and perform spectacular aerobatics.

This genus is not to be mistaken for the White-winged Chough of Australia.

The two species are:

• Red-billed Chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
• Alpine Chough or Yellow-billed Chough, Pyrrhocorax graculus

External links

• ITIS information on genus