In the summer, the Alpine chough feeds mainly on invertebrates collected from pasture, such as beetles ("Selatosomus aeneus" and "Otiorhynchus morio" have been recorded from pellets), snails, grasshoppers, caterpillars and fly larvae. The diet in autumn, winter and early spring becomes mainly fruit, including berries such as the European Hackberry ("Celtis australis") and Sea-buckthorn ("Hippophae rhamnoides"), rose hips, and domesticated crops such as apples, grapes and pears where available. It has been observed eating flowers of "Crocus vernus albiflorus", including the pistils, perhaps as a source of carotenoids. The chough will readily supplement its winter diet with food provided by tourist activities in mountain regions, including ski resorts, refuse dumps and picnic areas. Where additional food is available, winter flocks are larger and contain a high proportion of immature birds. The young birds principally frequent the sites with the greatest food availability, such as refuse dumps. Both chough species will hide food in cracks and fissures, concealing the cache with a few pebbles.