- Nucifraga caryocatactes
Identification
Chocolate brown with distinct white spots and streaks. The wings and upper tail are black with a greenish-blue gloss.
Distribution
Scandinavia right across northern Europe, Siberia and to eastern Asia, including Japan.
Taxonomy
Habitat
Taiga conifer forests.
Behaviour
The diet includes the nuts and seeds from pine trees, spruce and hazel trees. It also takes insects, birds' eggs and nestlings, digging out bumble bee and wasp nests to take the grubs.
The nest is usually built high in a conifer. 2-4 eggs are laid and incubated for 18 days. Both sexes feed the young which are usually fledged by about 23 days.
Bird Song
<flashmp3>Nucifraga caryocatactes (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
