About Corcorax melanoramphos (Vieillot, 1817)
White-winged choughs (scientific name Corcorax melanoramphos (Vieillot, 1817)) are easy to recognize, but are often mistaken for crows, such as the Australian raven. This species is a large black bird, measuring approximately 45 cm (18 in) long. It is only slightly smaller than a raven, and slightly larger than an Australian magpie. It has red eyes and a finer, slightly down-curved beak, similar to the European chough. When the bird is excited, its red eyes become swollen and brighter in color. Large white patches on its wings are immediately obvious when the bird is in flight, which gives the species its common name. Its calls are primarily a grating alarm call and a descending piping call. The descending piping call can be used to definitively identify this bird in the wild, as its timbre and melody differ significantly from the calls of other birds that share the same habitat.
