Editing Clark's nutcracker

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Clark's nutcracker
| image = Nucifraga columbiana1.jpg
| image_caption = In [[Deschutes National Forest]]
| image2 = Clark's Nutcracker Yosemite National Park.ogg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2018 |title=''Nucifraga columbiana'' |volume=2018 |page=e.T22705909A130407851 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22705909A130407851.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Nucifraga
| species = columbiana
| authority = ([[Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)|Wilson]], 1811)
| range_map = Nucifraga columbiana map.svg
}}

'''Clark's nutcracker''' ('''''Nucifraga columbiana'''''), sometimes referred to as '''Clark's crow''' or '''woodpecker crow''', is a [[passerine]] bird in the family [[Corvidae]], native to the mountains of western North America. The nutcracker is an omnivore, but subsists mainly on [[pine nut]]s, burying seeds in the ground in the summer and then retrieving them in the winter by memory.
The bird was described by the [[Lewis and Clark Expedition]], with [[William Clark (explorer)|William Clark]] first observing it in 1805 along the banks of the [[Salmon River (Washington)|Salmon River]], a tributary of the [[Columbia River]].

==Etymology and history==
Clark's nutcracker's scientific name literally means "nutcracker of the Columbia". In 1806 [[Meriwether Lewis]] recorded a more detailed description.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lewis-clark.org/article/559|title = Clark's Nutcracker &#124; Discovering Lewis & Clark ®| date=4 June 2021 }}</ref> A skin collected by the expedition was obtained by the ornithologist [[Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)|Alexander Wilson]], who used it to produce an  engraving for his monumental ''American Ornithology''.

[[File:Drawing of Clark's nutcracker by Alexander Wilson.png|thumb|Original illustration of Clark's nutcracker by [[Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)|Alexander Wilson]]]]

==Taxonomy==
Originally placed in the genus ''[[Corvus]]'' by Lewis, Clark's nutcracker was later included in ''Nucifraga'' by Wilson, which also includes three Old World species with similar lifestyles and habitats.

==Distribution and habitat==
This species is present in western North America from [[British Columbia]] and western [[Alberta]] in the north to [[Baja California]] and central [[New Mexico]] in the south. There is also a small isolated population on the peak of [[Cerro Potosí]], elevation 3,700 metres (12,200&nbsp;ft), in [[Nuevo León]], northeast [[Mexico]]. It is mainly found in mountains at altitudes of 900–3,900 metres (3,000–12,900&nbsp;ft) in conifer forest. It is not migratory except in the sense of moving back and forth locally between areas of higher and lower elevation. Outside the breeding season, it may wander extensively to lower altitudes and also further east as far as [[Illinois]] (and exceptionally, [[Pennsylvania]]), particularly following any cone crop failure in its normal areas.

==Description==
''Nucifraga columbiana'' can reach an average length of {{cvt|28.8|cm}}. It is slightly smaller than its [[Eurasia]]n relative the [[spotted nutcracker]] (''N. caryocatactes''). Most of its body has feathers that are ashy-grey and loose in texture. The wings and tail are black and white. The central tail feathers are black and the outer ones white. The bill, legs and feet are also black. The bill is long, stout, and cone-shaped.

===Measurements===
* '''Length''': {{convert|10.6|-|11.8|in|cm}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Clark's Nutcracker Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clarks_Nutcracker/id|access-date=2020-09-27|website=www.allaboutbirds.org|language=en}}</ref><ref name=rmnp>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/clarks_nutcracker.htm|title=Clark's Nutcracker|website=Rocky Mountain National Park|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=28 May 2023|date=20 May 2018}}</ref>
* '''Weight''': {{convert|3.7|-|5.7|oz|g}}<ref name=":0" /><ref name=rmnp/>
* '''Wingspan''': {{convert|24|in|cm}}<ref name=rmnp/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Clark's Nutcracker|url=https://www.eastsideaudubon.org/corvid-crier/2019/8/28/clarks-nutcracker|access-date=2020-09-27|website=Eastside Audubon Society|date=4 May 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Food==
[[File: Clark's Nutcracker. Nucifraga columbiana - Flickr - gailhampshire.jpg|thumb|Clark's nutcracker feeding on seeds of pines]]
The most important food resources for this species are the seeds of [[pine]]s (''Pinus'' sp.), principally the two cold-climate (high altitude) species of [[Pinus classification|white pine]] (''Pinus'' subgenus ''Strobus'') with large seeds ''[[Whitebark pine|P. albicaulis]]'' and ''[[Limber pine|P. flexilis]]'', but also using other high-altitude species like ''[[Foxtail pine|P. balfouriana]], [[Bristlecone pine|P. longaeva]]'' and ''[[Western white pine|P. monticola]]''. During [[Altitudinal migration|migrations to lower altitudes]], it also extensively uses the seeds of [[pinyon pine]]s. The isolated Cerro Potosí population is strongly associated with the local endemic [[Potosi pinyon]] (''Pinus culminicola)''. All Clark's nutcrackers have a [[sublingual pouch]] capable of holding around 50–150 seeds, depending on the size of the seeds;<ref name="Tomback">{{cite book|last=Tomback|first=DF|author-link=Diana Tomback|year=1998|chapter=Clark's Nutcracker (''Nucifraga columbiana'')|editor1-first=A|editor1-last=Poole|editor2-first=F|editor2-last=Gill|title=The Birds of North America|number=331|publisher=The Birds of North America, Inc.|location=Philadelphia}}</ref> the pouch greatly enhances the birds' ability to transport and store seeds.

Clark's nutcrackers store seeds, usually in the ground for later consumption, in caches of 1–15 seeds (average of 3–4 seeds).<ref name="Tomback" /> Depending on the cone crop as well as the tree species, a single Clark's nutcracker can cache as many as 98,000 seeds per season.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hutchins|first1=HE|first2=FM|last2=Lanner|year=1982|title=The central role of Clark's nutcracker in the dispersal and establishment of whitebark pine|journal=Oecologia|volume=55|issue=2 |pages=192–201|doi=10.1007/BF00384487 |pmid=28311233 |bibcode=1982Oecol..55..192H |s2cid=16214504 }}</ref> The birds regularly store more than they actually need as insurance against seed theft by other animals ([[squirrel]]s, etc.), as well as low availability of alternative foods; this surplus seed is left in the cache, and may be able to germinate and grow into new trees, if the conditions are right. Through this activity of caching and over-storing, the bird is perpetuating its own habitat. Closely tied in with this storage behavior is the bird's remarkable long-term spatial memory; they are able to relocate caches of seeds with great accuracy, even nine months later,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Tomback|first=DF|author-link=Diana Tomback|year=1978|title=Foraging strategies of Clark's Nutcracker|journal=Living Bird|volume=16|pages=123–161}}</ref> and even when the cache sites are buried under up to a meter (3&nbsp;ft) of snow. Its powers of memory exemplify the high intelligence of the Corvidae.  Clark's nutcrackers are known for storing and recovering large numbers of seed caches that are critical for winter survival. Short-term memory tasks reveal that nutcrackers can remember spatial information better than visual information. It was demonstrated that the cache recovery ability of Clarks nutcracker is derived from a memory system that has evolved differently for storing spatial information.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Qadri|first1=Muhammad A. J.|last2=Leonard|first2=Kevin|last3=Cook|first3=Robert G.|last4=Kelly|first4=Debbie M.|date=2018-12-01|title=Examination of long-term visual memorization capacity in the Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)|journal=Psychonomic Bulletin & Review|language=en|volume=25|issue=6|pages=2274–2280|doi=10.2307/1367199|pmid=29450792|issn=1531-5320|doi-access=free}}</ref>

[[File: Clark's Nutcracker with wings out, landing on a rock.JPG|thumb|Clark's nutcracker landing, [[Mount Hood]], Oregon]]
The diet also includes a wide range of [[insect]] prey, berries and other fruits, small [[mammal]]s, including ground squirrels and voles, nestling birds, amphibians, and occasionally flesh from carcasses.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Mulder|first1=Barry S.|last2=Schultz|first2=Brian B.|last3=Sherman|first3=Paul W.|date=1978-12-01|title=Predation on vertebrates by Clark's Nutcrackers|journal=Condor|language=en|volume=80|issue=4|pages=449-451|doi=10.3758/s13423-018-1439-4}}</ref> Eggs and nestlings are sometimes devoured, and [[peanut]]s and suet have become a favorite at [[Bird feeder|bird tables]]. Food is taken both from the ground and from trees, where the nutcrackers are very agile among the branches. The birds are able to extract food by clasping pine cones in such a way that the cones are held between one or both feet. The birds then hack the cones open with their strong bills. Rotten logs are also hacked into in order to locate large beetle grubs, and animal dung may be flipped over in search of insects. Clark's nutcrackers can also be opportunistic feeders in developed areas, and are known to some as "camp robbers".

==Nesting==
[[File:Clark's Nutcracker at Crater Lake 2015.jpg|thumb|A Clark's nutcracker nestled on a branch at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.]]
The species usually nests in pines or other types of conifers during early spring. Two to four eggs are laid, incubation usually occurring in 16–18 days. Incubation is performed by both the male and female parents, and both the male and the female develop [[brood patch]]es. The young are typically fledged by around the 22nd day. The fledglings follow their parents around for several months, possibly in order to learn the complex seed storage behavior.

==Whitebark pine mutualism==
Clark's nutcracker is the primary seed disperser for [[Whitebark pine|whitebark pine (''Pinus albicaulis'')]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Tomback|first=DF|author-link=Diana Tomback|year=1982|title=Dispersal of whitebark pine seeds by Clark's Nutcracker: A mutualism hypothesis|journal=Journal of Animal Ecology|volume=51|issue=2 |pages=451–467|doi=10.2307/3976 |jstor=3976 |bibcode=1982JAnEc..51..451T }}</ref> Whitebark pine is in decline throughout its range, due to infection by [[Cronartium ribicola|white pine blister rust (''Cronartium ribicola'')]], widespread outbreaks of [[mountain pine beetle]], and the long-term effects of fire suppression.<ref name="WBPComm">{{cite book|last1=Tomback|first1=DF|author1-link=Diana Tomback|first2=SF|last2=Arno|first3=RE|last3=Keane|year=2001|title=Whitebark Pine Communities: Ecology and Restoration|publisher=Island Press|location=Washington, DC.}}</ref> Clark's nutcracker is an integral part of the whitebark pine restoration process: Clark's nutcracker must remain in whitebark pine forests and cache the seeds in excess, so that healthy trees will continue to grow.<ref name="WBPComm" /> If whitebark pine declines into extinction, Clark's nutcracker will lose an important source of food and may no longer be seen in areas where the tree is the primary source of seed, such as [[Glacier National Park (U.S.)|Glacier National Park]].

==Vocalization==
The voice of this bird is extremely varied and produces many different sounds. However, the most frequent call is commonly described as ''{{not a typo|khraaaah-khraaaah}}''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
* Lanner, R. M. (1996). ''Made for each other: a symbiosis of birds and pines''. OUP. {{ISBN|0-19-508903-0}}
* Balda R., Kamil C., Linking Life Zones, Life History Traits, Ecology, and Spatial Cognition in Four Allopatric Southwestern Seed Caching Corvids, 2006 [http://www.pigeon.psy.tufts.edu/asc/Balda/Default.htm]
*[http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Nucifraga%20columbiana NatureServe report]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category|Nucifraga columbiana}}
*[http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=clark%27s+nutcracker&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 Clark's nutcracker photo gallery] VIREO
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/clarks-nutcracker-nucifraga-columbiana Clark's nutcracker] on the Internet Bird Collection
*[http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clarks_Nutcracker/id Clark's nutcracker] at All About Birds
*[http://www.whitebarkfound.org Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation]

{{Corvidae|2}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1142785}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nucifraga|Clark's nutcracker]]
[[Category:Native birds of Western Canada]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Western United States]]
[[Category:Birds of the Sierra Nevada (United States)]]
[[Category:Birds of the Rio Grande valleys]]<!-- for New Mexico and southeast to Mexico: see "www.natureserve.org" ....entire RangeMap is: "Permanent Resident" except for (5) "Vagrant" areas(far NW Mexico)(Baja-(north))-->
[[Category:Fauna of the Chihuahuan Desert]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1811|Clark's nutcracker]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Alexander Wilson (ornithologist)]]