Eurasian Nutcracker

Nucifraga caryocatactes

The northern nutcracker, 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. Source

Where it is now

In the last 8 weeks this bird was recorded 6,792 times across 35 areas (each area is a 5 degree square).

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Movement and weather

Each season it is first heard regularly where daytime highs are around 20°C (typically 20 to 24°C, from 8 areas). That holds across 25° of latitude, which suggests its timing follows temperature more than the calendar.

Over the weeks it was present in the past year, its centre in Europe ranged from 58°N in May to 66°N in March, about 1,000 km apart.

Arrival dates

The week it was first heard regularly in each region, after at least six weeks away. Dates differ from south to north, so a region has a range.

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Figures are effort corrected and come from automatic sound identification, which makes mistakes. How this is measured and how it compares with human observers.