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Corvid Fuerteventura? (1 Viewer)

KenM

KenM

Well-known member
Whilst deleting....found a forgotten image on my SD card!

Apart from Raven and Chough (the only recorded Corvids on the Island), have to assume that this is the former, it looks structurally ok, just the pale patches the (bill and lower body) bit of leucism, or the result of a dust bath?

Cheers
 

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Surely not a raven on structure alone. Bright legs & bill and short tail would suggest chough, possibly a juv.
 
esmondb said:
Surely not a raven on structure alone. Bright legs & bill and short tail would suggest chough, possibly a juv.
Click to expand...

I agree it looks like a juvenile Chough, but at best a rare vagrant on that island !

I guess you are sure the photo is not from La Palma ?
 
Valéry Schollaert said:
I agree it looks like a juvenile Chough, but at best a rare vagrant on that island !

I guess you are sure the photo is not from La Palma ?
Click to expand...

I can assure you that it was Fuerteventura, and that there had been numerous birds in the air over the “dump”. Birds noted were - Raven (c1/2 dozen, 4-5 Canary Island Buzzards, 3-4 Egyptian Vultures, a putative Barbary Falcon and many Yellow-legged Gulls. It struck me as looking somewhat compact hence the single shot, at the time I thought it to look like a “smaller” Raven. The tail shape
is about right, although the posture looks a bit off. According to Collins...the length of the tail is longer than the wing width on Chough....

Cheers
 
KenM said:
I can assure you that it was Fuerteventura, and that there had been numerous birds in the air over the “dump”. Birds noted were - Raven (c1/2 dozen, 4-5 Canary Island Buzzards, 3-4 Egyptian Vultures, a putative Barbary Falcon and many Yellow-legged Gulls. It struck me as looking somewhat compact hence the single shot, at the time I thought it to look like a “smaller” Raven. The tail shape
is about right, although the posture looks a bit off. According to Collins...the length of the tail is longer than the wing width on Chough....

Cheers
Click to expand...

Here's an adult in flight for comparison, shape, dark coverts contrasting with slaty flight feathers, your bird is a Chough.

https://www.vogelwarte.ch/assets/images/voegel/vds/artbilder/700px/3770_0.jpg

When do they aquite the adults red bill?
 
KenM said:
Assuming you’re correct Andy, the possibility of which I hadn’t considered, due to range and presumed unlikely (rare), however Alpine Chough occur in Morocco I believe....?
Click to expand...

The possiblity of Alpine Chough was kinda what I was alluding to Ken, they're common in parts of Morroco.

I hesitate to say it on such a long distance shot, but the bill structure looks better for Alpine IMHO?
 
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andyadcock said:
The possiblity of Alpine Chough was kinda what I was alluding to Ken, they're common in parts of Morroco.

I hesitate to say it on such a long distance shot, but the bill structure looks better for Alpine IMHO?
Click to expand...

I understand that Juv Red-billed Chough have “yellowish” bills, add to that I can’t find any info. on Chough incidence on the Canary’s other than mentioned on La Palma...?

Cheers
 
Given the quality of the pic I find it easier to believe it is a raven rather than the big rarity a chough would be in Fuerteventura
 
Motmot said:
Given the quality of the pic I find it easier to believe it is a raven rather than the big rarity a chough would be in Fuerteventura
Click to expand...

Especially given that a reasonable observer would have probably picked up on it being a Chough in the field had it been one.
 
Jos Stratford said:
Especially given that a reasonable observer would have probably picked up on it being a Chough in the field had it been one.
Click to expand...

Well being an unreasonable observer Jos, It came hard on the heels of my putative Barbary falcon which was preoccupying my mind, when I had a “child in the sweatshop” moment, as the bird came distantly into view, and I fired off a couple of shots, this being the only useful one! Oddly enough I do know what a Chough looks like...and it didn’t remind me of one, neither a Raven also?

Definitely a Corvid as to ascribing it...dunno?
 
KenM said:
Oddly enough I do know what a Chough looks like...and it didn’t remind me of one
Click to expand...

This was my point - rather than relying on an image that is not too clear, I would say if it didn't remind you of a Chough in the field, given you are familiar with the species, then this is good reason it probably isn't one.
 
Jos Stratford said:
This was my point - rather than relying on an image that is not too clear, I would say if it didn't remind you of a Chough in the field, given you are familiar with the species, then this is good reason it probably isn't one.
Click to expand...

If you return to my first post, you will note that I never attempted to ascribe it to anything other than a Corvid, indeed Chough never even crossed my mind due to it being distinctly unlikely. My concern evident in the post, was, that it was probably a “compact looking” Raven with some leucism and was seeking other opinions lest I was missing something obvious....that’s why there is a Q&A forum, for us lesser mortals to raise our ID standards.
 
KenM said:
If you return to my first post, you will note that I never attempted to ascribe it to anything other than a Corvid, indeed Chough never even crossed my mind due to it being distinctly unlikely. My concern evident in the post, was, that it was probably a “compact looking” Raven with some leucism and was seeking other opinions lest I was missing something obvious....that’s why there is a Q&A forum, for us lesser mortals to raise our ID standards.
Click to expand...

Idea was being floated that it was a Chough/Alpine Chough, so simply added a comment that the observer, you, would probably have picked up on this in this at time of observation had it been one. Just adding an answer, you know that's why there is Q & A section, so folks can give suggestions that may (or may not) hint towards a likely solution.
 
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foresttwitcher said:
Surely the pale areas are just glare / photographic artifact.
Click to expand...

I'm buying into this. Looking at the glare on some of the under-feathers.

I had thought the wings weren't long enough/kinked enough for Raven, but plenty of images show similar and guess it's to do with flight posture.
 
A couple of thoughts:

It seems to me to have 6 fingers which should exclude Alpine Chough which has 5 - according to van Duivendijk.

He also states that the Raven on the Canary Islands (C. c. tingitanus) is small (fitting Ken's description as compact) and has a relatively short tail.
 
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