Clark’s Nutcracker

A gray, black, and white mountain corvid of western North America, strongly associated with pine seed caching and high-elevation forests.

Overview

Common Name

Clark’s Nutcracker

Scientific Name

Nucifraga columbiana

Family

Corvidae

Order

Passeriformes

Class

Aves

Region

North American

Group

Bird

Native Range

Western North America, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Pacific Northwest mountains

Habitats

High-elevation conifer forests, Whitebark pine forests, Mountain slopes, Subalpine forests, Open conifer woodlands

Diet

Pine seeds, Other seeds, Insects, Fruit, Carrion, Human-associated foods

Conservation Status

Verify current conservation status with authoritative bird and forest ecology references.

Verification

needs_bird_review

Fun Facts

Clark’s Nutcrackers are famous for caching thousands of pine seeds.
Their seed caching can help regenerate certain high-elevation pines.
They have excellent spatial memory for finding hidden seeds.
They are corvids even though they do not look like typical crows or jays.

Notes

This entry is intended as a starter informational profile.
Because some high-elevation pine ecosystems face disease and climate pressures, current conservation references should be checked.

Reference Links

Quick Info

Entry URL

/north-american/bird/nucifraga-columbiana

Entry Type

fauna entry

Slug

nucifraga-columbiana

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