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Nucifraga columbiana

(Clark's Nutcracker)

Conservation Status

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Population Analysis

  • For the 56,576 species in the Class Aves (Birds), we average 371.87 observations each in our database; for the Clark's Nutcracker, we have 7,087 observations. Compared to other species in this Class, this species is moderately common.
  • A two-sample t-test can be used to determine whether the trend in observations of the Clark's Nutcracker is the same as the trend in observations of Aves. Is this species just as common, as a proportion of all observations, as it once was? The answer is no, changes in observation rate of this species significantly differ from changes in observation rate of its Class. (t=21.776, p<0.001)
  • How do observation rates of the Clark's Nutcracker differ from those of Aves? To answer this, we examined the percentage of observerations for Aves that were observations of the Clark's Nutcracker each year. We then correlated this percentage with observation year. If observations of the Clark's Nutcracker are becoming more common relative to other species of Aves, the correlation should be positive, but if it is becoming less common, the correlation should be negative. In fact, the correlation is negative (r=-.59), with a negative slope (m = -.002), suggesting that the Clark's Nutcracker may be in decline relative to other species of Aves. This correlation is statistically significant. (F = 72.82, p<.05)
  • The scatter chart to the right shows the percentage of all observations for Aves each year that were observations of the Clark's Nutcracker.

Taxonomy

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  • Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
    • Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
      • Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Physical Description

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Family Corvidae:

A Family of passerine songbirds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies and nutcrackers. Corvids are medium to large birds with strong feet and bills, rictal bristles and a single moult each year.

Adult:

Bill: black Length: long Body: pale gray Shape: stocky Legs: Foot Color: black Leg Color: black Wings: Secondaries: white, forming patch on back of inner wing. Tail: white with black central feathers.

Size/Age/Growth:

About 12.5 inches long, with a wingspan of 18 to 18 inches. Adults weigh about 5 ounces.

Images:

Distribution

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Range and Population

North America

Habitat

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Vegetation: tropical lowland evergreen forest, pine forests • Minimum Elevation: 2,000 meters • Maximum Elevation: 3,100 meters • Foraging Strata: Canopy • Center of Abundance: Upper montaine: mountains, upper range, above 3,600 m. • Relative Abundance in Tropical America: Rare • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Medium.

Diet

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Primarily:

Seeds Lesser Quantities of: Insects

Reproduction

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  • Breeding Habitat: Woodland
  • Nest Location: Mid-story/canopy nesting
  • Nest Type: Open-cup
  • Clutch Size: 2-3
  • Length of Incubation: 16-18 days
  • Days to Fledge: 18-21
  • Number of Broods: 1

Migration

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Nonmigratory

Similar Species

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Gray Jay

Members of the genus Nucifraga:

There are approximately 22 species and subspecies in this genus: N. baregi · N. cargocatactes · N. cargocatactes macrorhynchus · N. caryocatactes · N. caryocatactes caryocatactes · N. caryocatactes hemispila · N. caryocatactes interdicta · N. caryocatactes interdictus · N. caryocatactes japonica · N. caryocatactes japonicus · N. caryocatactes macrorhynchos · N. caryocatactes macrorhynchus · N. caryocatactes multipunctata · N. caryocatactes owstoni · N. columbiana (Clark's Nutcracker) · N. hemispila · N. hemispila interdictus · N. kamchatkensis · N. multipunctata · N. owstoni · N. relicta · N. yunnanensis

Bibliography

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  • Alsop, Fred J. III. Birds of North America - Eastern Region. First American Edition. Smithsonian Handbooks. DK Publishing, Inc. 2001.
  • Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
  • Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, and A. L. Gardner 1987. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada. Resource Publication, no. 166. United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, D.C., USA. 79.
  • Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., and Wheye, D. (1988). The Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc. (info on clutch size, length of incubation, days to fledge and number of broods.)
  • Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. (Length and wingspan info.)

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors:

  • Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
  • Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 4, 2006.
  • Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 10, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 9 providers.
  • Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
  • Parker III, T.A., D.F. Stotz, and J.W. Fitzpatrick, &quot;Ecological and Distributional Databases for Neotropical Birds,&quot; in Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation, by D.F. Stotz, T.A. Parker III, J.W. Fitzpatrick, and D.K. Moskovits (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). ISBN 0-226-64676-9.
  • Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
  • Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 10, 2008:

  • Avian Knowledge Network: eBird
  • Avian Knowledge Network: Great Backyard Bird Count
  • Avian Knowledge Network: Project FeederWatch
  • Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
  • Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds (Aves)
  • Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal British Columbia Museum
  • Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Bird Collection
  • Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates: Bird Collection
  • Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
  • Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
  • UCLA-Dickey Bird Collection (UCLA-Dickey): Bird specimens
  • University of Colorado Museum: Zoological specimens

Identifiers:

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Last Revised: 2008-05-19