Nucifraga caryocatactes
Silhouette: Joshua Fowler · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 Nikko National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 85th most-seen of the 102 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Nutcracker in Nikko National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months.
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.
9th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Eurasian Nutcracker sightings, Nikko National Park ranks 9th 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 Nikko National Park (family Corvidae, Crows, Jays, and Magpies) are Large-billed Crow (about 60%), Eurasian Jay (about 50%) and Carrion Crow (about 20%), 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 Nikko National Park (17 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.
