The spotted nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) genus name is a translation of German Nussbrecher which means nut-breaker – the most important food resources for these species are the seeds (pine nuts) of various pines. Its body plumage is chocolate brown, heavily spotted with white on face, neck, mantle and underparts. It has a large white loral spot, a white eye-ring, and a blackish brown cap extending onto the nape. Also known as the Eurasian nutcracker, or just nutcracker, it has an extensive range forming a broad swathe east-west from Scandinavia right across northern Europe, Siberia and to eastern Asia, including Japan.
