Nucifraga caryocatactes
Silhouette: Joshua Fowler · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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.
The northern nutcracker was one of many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, where it was given the binomial name Corvus caryocatactes. It was later assigned to the genus Nucifraga that was erected by Mathurin Jacques Brisson in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 2 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 3 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 6 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 10 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 11 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Yekaterinburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Kaliningrad Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 4 | Warsaw Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Novosibirsk Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 6 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 7 | herpetarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 8 | akwarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | hipopotamiarnia i akwarium morskie warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 10 | Ogród Zoologiczny w Katowicach | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Nutcracker sighting in Gauja National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 120th most-seen of the 124 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Nutcracker in Gauja National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Nutcracker sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Eurasian Nutcracker sightings, Gauja National Park ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Tatra National Park (Slovakia, about 50%), Hohe Tauern National Park (Austria, about 40%) and Vanoise National Park (France, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Corvidae
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Nutcracker that you can see in Gauja National Park (family Corvidae, Crows, Jays, and Magpies) are Hooded Crow (about 90%), Eurasian Jackdaw (about 80%) and Eurasian Magpie (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Nutcracker is recorded against all the birds logged in Gauja National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
