Bird Album
Northern Nutcracker
Nucifraga caryocatactes (Linnaeus, 1758)
≈37 cmLength58 cmWingspan182 gWeight
Its chocolate-colored plumage is covered in white spots.
Busiest months: September · Most records: Sweden, Norway, Finland
How to identify
Field marks
- Numerous white spots on face, neck, upper back and underparts
- Eye-ring white
- Wings black with a green-blue metallic gloss
- One white band across the tail tip, visible from below
Voice
A loud, harsh “kraak-kraak-kraak-kraak”.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: September · Most records: Sweden, Norway, Finland
Northern Nutcracker has been recorded at 168 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 32 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Maridalen – uspesifisertNorway137 records
- Ile Alatau NP – Big Almaty LakeKazakhstan96 records
- CHKO Jeseníky – Červenohorské sedloCzechia95 records
More places
- Raahe – PattijokisuuFinland62 records
- Falsterbonäset – NabbenSweden62 records
- InnsbruckAustria59 records
- Sedlo pod Golico | Golica saddleSlovenia57 records
- SkatuddenSweden52 records
- Drapolicz – Raptor CountpointPoland45 records
- Falsterbonäset – Falsterbo fyrSweden45 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The northern nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes), previously known as the spotted nutcracker and Eurasian nutcracker, is a passerine bird in the crow family Corvidae. It is slightly smaller than the Eurasian jay but has a much larger bill and a slimmer looking head without any crest. The feathering over its body is predominantly chocolate brown with distinct white spots and patches.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Northern Nutcracker?
The Northern Nutcracker is about ≈37 cm long, with a wingspan of 58 cm and weighs around 182 g.
Where does the Northern Nutcracker live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: Europe to northeastern Japan. It is most often recorded in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
When is the best time to see the Northern Nutcracker?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in September (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Northern Nutcracker endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Northern Nutcracker as Least Concern.
What does the Northern Nutcracker eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Northern Nutcracker in?
It belongs to the family Crows, Jays (Corvidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈37 cm
- Wingspan
- 58 cm
- Weight
- 182 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 184 mm
- Tail
- 116 mm
- Bill
- 52 mm
- Tarsus
- 39 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: Europe to northeastern Japan
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 2
- Nucifraga caryocatactes macrorhynchos Ural Mts. to e Siberia and ne China
- Nucifraga caryocatactes rothschildi Kazakhstan to nw China
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Crows, Jays Corvidae
- Genus
- Nucifraga
Other birds in the genus Nucifraga
Clark's NutcrackerNucifraga columbiana
Southern NutcrackerNucifraga hemispila
Kashmir NutcrackerNucifraga multipunctata
Malayan Black MagpiePlatysmurus leucopterus
Bornean Black MagpiePlatysmurus aterrimus
Siberian JayPerisoreus infaustus
Sichuan JayPerisoreus internigrans
Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis
Black-collared JayCyanolyca armillata
White-collared JayCyanolyca viridicyanus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Vladimir Ovchinnikov. ↗
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