The alpine accentor

The alpine accentor (Prunella collaris) is far from shy. It is the most easily observable of the mountain sparrows. It spends most of its time on the ground pecking at insects, or perching regularly on the stones. From afar, it looks dull in colour but draws attention with its red flanks. But close up, its plumage appears variegated with grey-brown on top, a broadly striped black back, white breast with black mottling, flanks with red sparks on a white background and two rows of white dots on the wings.