Clark's Nutcracker

Latin Name: Nucifraga Columbiana

Clark's Nutcracker appears to be a sort of combination of woodpecker and crow. Like a woodpecker, this species has a long, stout, pointed bill that it uses to open pine seeds, its favorite food. Like a crow, this bird is noisy, gregarious, bold, and intelligently wary of man. Nutcrackers often walk like crows and are sometimes seen pilfering food scraps at tourist overlooks in the high mountain parks of the West. Commonly found near timberline along the crests of higher mountains, these birds are often seen in small groups perched on bare snags, breaking the silence with their harsh, grating calls. Nutcrackers are residents of the mountains; occasionally, in fall and winter, small bands or individuals move away from the breeding grounds to the lowlands or lower mountains, where they may sometimes remain until the following summer.

Description
12-13" (30.5-33cm). Clark's Nutcracker is a stout, ash-gray bird about the size and shape of a Common Flicker. The glossy black wings show a large white patch in the secondaries; the tail is white with black central feathers. The forehead, throat, and undertail coverts are white. The bill is long, heavy, pointed, and black; the eyes and legs are also black. Young birds are browner and duller with brownish-tipped wing coverts.

Voice
A harsh, loud, throaty kra-a-a.

Similar Species
Gray Jay, Northern Mockingbird, and shrikes have similar coloration, but are smaller, longer-tailed, shorter-billed. Pinyon Jay very similar in shape, but smaller and essentially all blue.

Range
Mountains of southern Canada and western United States (central British Columbia, western Colorado, and northern Baja California). Occasional invasions during nonbreeding season to lower mountains and lowlands beyond breeding range, into central Alaska, Pacific Coast to southern California, western Great Lakes and upper Mississippi River valley.