Northern nutcracker
Nucifraga caryocatactes (Linnaeus, 1758)
The northern nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) is a bird in the family Corvidae and the order Passeriformes, placed in the group of songbirds and other perching birds. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 182.5 g, ranging from 172.5 to 188.8 g in our sources, and a wingspan of 58 cm.
Quick facts about the northern nutcracker
Its diet category is granivore and its trophic level is omnivore; it lives in forest habitat, has a perching lifestyle and is partially migratory. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category, and its geographic range covers 15,490,000 km².
- Weight
- 172.5 g – 188.8 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 58 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 16.1 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Granivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 18 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the northern nutcracker?
Photos of the northern nutcracker
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the northern nutcracker live?
Not recorded
What is the northern nutcracker?
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. The wings and upper tail are black with a greenish-blue gloss.
The northern nutcracker is one of four species of nutcracker currently accepted. The southern nutcracker (Nucifraga hemispila) and the Kashmir nutcracker (Nucifraga multipunctata) were formerly considered as subspecies of the northern nutcracker. The species complex was known by the English name "spotted nutcracker". The fourth and most distinct member of the genus, Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), occurs in western North America.
From the Wikipedia article “Northern nutcracker” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Northern_nutcracker&oldid=1381880720), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the northern nutcracker sound like?
Is the northern nutcracker endangered?
The northern nutcracker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the northern nutcracker classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCorvidae
- genusNucifraga
- SpeciesNucifraga caryocatactes (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Caryocatactes nucifraga, Corvus caryocatactes, Nucifraga caryocatactes altaicus, Nucifraga punctata
Other names and names in other languages (92)
- Eurasian nutcrackerEnglish
- NutcrackerEnglish
- Spotted nutcrackerEnglish
- خسافArabic
- كسارة البندق المنقطArabic
- Баян ҡошBashkir
- АрэхаўкаBelarusian
- СокерицаBulgarian
- Tarzher-kraon EuraziaBreton
- Torrer-kraoñ brizhellekBreton
- trencanous eurasiàticCatalan
- РонгыжMari
- РункӑшChuvash
- ořešník kropenatýCzech
- ÒrzesznicaKashubian
- Malwr CnauWelsh
- Malwyr CnauWelsh
- NøddekrigeDanish
- TannenhäherGerman
- ΚαρυοθραύστηςGreek
- NuksrompuloEsperanto
- eŭrazia nuksrompuloEsperanto
- CascanuecesSpanish
- Cascanueces comúnSpanish
- Cascanueces euroasiáticoSpanish
- Cascanueces norteñoSpanish
- mänsakEstonian
- IntxaurjaleBasque
- فندق شکنPersian
- فندقشکن خالدارPersian
- pähkinähakkiFinnish
- krákukárnFaroese
- Cassenoix mouchetéFrench
- casse-noix mouchetéFrench
- Geai des montagnesFrench
- NutekreakerWestern Frisian
- CnóireIrish
- CnòthairScottish Gaelic
- Scolteyder CroiynManx
- קיק אגוזים מנוקדHebrew
- krejaCroatian
- fenyőszajkóHungarian
- ՄայրահավArmenian
- HnotkrákaIcelandic
- HnotbrjóturIcelandic
- NocciolaiaItalian
- ホシガラスJapanese
- მეთხილიაGeorgian
- СамыркешKazakh
- 잣까마귀Korean
- ПеркKomi
- Crakyer knowCornish
- Чаар каргаKyrgyz
- NëssknackerLuxembourgish
- ХехекLezghian
- paprastoji riešutinėLithuanian
- RiešutinėLithuanian
- riekstrozisLatvian
- лешникаркаMacedonian
- Бидэрт самарчшаазгайMongolian
- BítáátʼashzhiinNavajo
- वनसर्राNepali
- NotenkrakerDutch
- nøttekråkeNorwegian
- Orzechówka zwyczajnaPolish
- OrzechówkaPolish
- orzechówka (zwyczajna)Polish
- دھبیانوالا گری توڑناWestern Panjabi
- Quebra NozesPortuguese
- Quebra-nozesPortuguese
- quebra-nozes-do-nortePortuguese
- quebra-nozes-malhadoPortuguese
- Quebra-nozes-mosqueadoPortuguese
- AlunarRomanian
- КедровкаRussian
- ОрїховкаRusyn
- ОҥолоYakut
- NiehttegarjáNorthern Sami
- orešnica perlaváSlovak
- krekovtSlovenian
- ЛешњикараSerbian
- Лешњикара - LešnjikaraSerbian
- LešnikaraSerbian
- nötkråkaSwedish
- ЭрбетчеTatar
- Göknar KargasıTurkish
- ГоріхівкаUkrainian
- горіхівка крапчастаUkrainian
- 星鴉Chinese
- 北方星鴉Chinese
- 北星鸦Chinese
- 星鸦Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the northern nutcracker
Other species in the same genus Nucifraga.
Clark's crow
Nucifraga columbiana
Kashmir nutcracker
Nucifraga multipunctata
Southern nutcracker
Nucifraga hemispila
CompareNorthern nutcracker vs Clark's crowNorthern nutcracker vs Kashmir nutcrackerNorthern nutcracker vs Southern nutcrackerNorthern nutcracker vs Nucifraga arquata
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the northern nutcracker?
The northern nutcracker is a bird in the family Corvidae, part of the group of songbirds and other perching birds.
How heavy is the northern nutcracker?
Its adult body mass is 182.5 g, with values from 172.5 to 188.8 g reported by our sources.
What does the northern nutcracker eat?
Its diet category is granivore, and its trophic level is omnivore.
Is the northern nutcracker endangered?
No. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the northern nutcracker live?
Its lifespan is 16.08 years, with values up to 16.2 years reported by our sources.
How many eggs does the northern nutcracker lay?
It lays 3.5 eggs per clutch and has 1 clutch per year, with an incubation period of 18 days.
Does the northern nutcracker migrate?
Yes, it is partially migratory.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Northern nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-nutcracker
“Northern nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-nutcracker.
@misc{northern_nutcracker_2026,
title = {Northern nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/northern-nutcracker},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}