Eurasian Nutcracker

SCI Name:  Nucifraga caryocatactes
Protonym:  Corvus Caryocatactes Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.106
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Corvidae / Nucifraga
Taxonomy Code:  eurnut1
Type Locality:  'Europa;'' restricted to Sweden by Hartert (1903, Vog. pal. Fauna, 1, p. 25).
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  

DEFINITIONS

NUCIFRAGA
(Corvidae; Ϯ Northern Nutcracker N. caryocatactes) Late Med. L. nucifraga  a name given to the Northern Nutcracker by Turner 1544, as a translation of the German name Nussbrecher  nut-breaker  < L. nux, nucis  nut; frangere  to shatter; "{Plumis basis rostri antrorsum incumbentibus, naresque tegentibus  ...  {Rostro recto  ...  {Mandibula superiore longiore & obtusa . . . . . Nucifraga. Genus 17.   ...   **1. LE CASSE-NOIX.  ...  NUCIFRAGA  ...  Nucibus, Amygdalis, &c. victitat" (Brisson 1760); based on "Nucifraga" and "Caryocatactes" of Gessner 1555, Schwenckfeld 1603, and other authors, "Ossifragus" and "Coccothraustes" of Rzaczynski 1721, and "Nut-Cracker" of Edwards 1751; "Nucifraga Brisson, 1760, Ornithologie, 1, p. 30. Type, by tautonymy, "nucifraga," ibid., 2, p. 59 = Corvus caryocatactes Linnaeus." (Vaurie in Peters 1962, XV, 256).
Synon. Caryocatactes, Picicorvus.

nucifraga
Late Med. L. nucifraga a name given to the Spotted Nutcracker by Turner 1544, as a translation of the German name Nussbrecher  nut-breaker  < L. nux, nucis  nut; frangere  to shatter. Var. Nuciphraga.

caryocatactes
Gr. καρυοκατακτης karuokataktēs  nutcracker  < καρυον karuon  nut; καταγνυμι katagnumi  to shatter; "48. CORVUS.  ...  Caryocatactes.  9. C. fuscus alboque punctatus, alis caudaque nigris: rectricibus apice albis: intermediis apice detritis.  Corvus cinereus, cauda alisque nigris. Fn. svec. 75.  Caryocatactes. Gesn. av. 245. Will. ornith. 90. t. 20. Raj. av. 42.  Pica abietum nigra guttata. Frisch. av. t. 56.  Habitat in Europa; edit nuces." (Linnaeus 1758) (Nucifraga).

Caryocatactes
Gr. καρυοκατακτης karuokataktēs  nutcracker  < καρυον karuon  nut; καταγνυμι katagnumi  to shatter.
• (Columbidae; ?syn. Caloenas † Nicobar Pigeon C. nicobarica) "INDIAANSE RAVEN. NOOTENKRAAKER in Latyn Caryocatactes. §  Dost-Indische Raven by BONT. Ind. 62.  ... § De Caryocataties welken WILLUGHBY afbeeld tab. XX strookt geheel met met' de bepaaling van Dr MOEHRING. Zie GESNERUS de Avibus Ed. Tig. p. 238" (Moehring 1758).  Bontius's plate and description are woeful.  Earlier authors identified his bird with some sort of hornbill Bucerotidae; however, the nutmeg-eating habits, long neck and knobbed cere could equally refer to this large pigeon.
Var. Caryocataties. 
• (Corvidae; syn. Nucifraga † Spotted Nutcracker N. caryocatactes) "Gattung. Nußbrecher. Caryocatactes.  ... Er nährt sich von Insekten, Eicheln, Buchekern, Beeren; hauptsächlich sucht er die Nüsse auf, die er mit seinem starken Schnabel aufbeißt, und die Kerne genießt" (Koch 1816); "LES CASSE-NOIX.  (CARYOCATACTES. Cuv.)  Ont les deux mandibules également pointues, droites et sans courbures.  Il n'y en a qu'un de connu.   Le Casse-Noix ordinaire.  (Corvus caryocatactes. Lin.)  Enl. 50." (Cuvier 1816); "Caryocatactes Cuvier, Règne Anim., 1, p. 399, Dec., 1816—type, by monotypy, Corvus caryocatactes Linnaeus." (Hellmayr, 1934, Cat. Birds Americas, Pt. VII, p. 9).
Var. Caryocathactes, Cariocatactes.

SUBSPECIES

Eurasian Nutcracker (Northern)
SCI Name: Nucifraga caryocatactes [caryocatactes Group]
NUCIFRAGA
(Corvidae; Ϯ Northern Nutcracker N. caryocatactes) Late Med. L. nucifraga  a name given to the Northern Nutcracker by Turner 1544, as a translation of the German name Nussbrecher  nut-breaker  < L. nux, nucis  nut; frangere  to shatter; "{Plumis basis rostri antrorsum incumbentibus, naresque tegentibus  ...  {Rostro recto  ...  {Mandibula superiore longiore & obtusa . . . . . Nucifraga. Genus 17.   ...   **1. LE CASSE-NOIX.  ...  NUCIFRAGA  ...  Nucibus, Amygdalis, &c. victitat" (Brisson 1760); based on "Nucifraga" and "Caryocatactes" of Gessner 1555, Schwenckfeld 1603, and other authors, "Ossifragus" and "Coccothraustes" of Rzaczynski 1721, and "Nut-Cracker" of Edwards 1751; "Nucifraga Brisson, 1760, Ornithologie, 1, p. 30. Type, by tautonymy, "nucifraga," ibid., 2, p. 59 = Corvus caryocatactes Linnaeus." (Vaurie in Peters 1962, XV, 256).
Synon. Caryocatactes, Picicorvus.

Eurasian Nutcracker (Southern)
SCI Name: Nucifraga caryocatactes [hemispila Group]
NUCIFRAGA
(Corvidae; Ϯ Northern Nutcracker N. caryocatactes) Late Med. L. nucifraga  a name given to the Northern Nutcracker by Turner 1544, as a translation of the German name Nussbrecher  nut-breaker  < L. nux, nucis  nut; frangere  to shatter; "{Plumis basis rostri antrorsum incumbentibus, naresque tegentibus  ...  {Rostro recto  ...  {Mandibula superiore longiore & obtusa . . . . . Nucifraga. Genus 17.   ...   **1. LE CASSE-NOIX.  ...  NUCIFRAGA  ...  Nucibus, Amygdalis, &c. victitat" (Brisson 1760); based on "Nucifraga" and "Caryocatactes" of Gessner 1555, Schwenckfeld 1603, and other authors, "Ossifragus" and "Coccothraustes" of Rzaczynski 1721, and "Nut-Cracker" of Edwards 1751; "Nucifraga Brisson, 1760, Ornithologie, 1, p. 30. Type, by tautonymy, "nucifraga," ibid., 2, p. 59 = Corvus caryocatactes Linnaeus." (Vaurie in Peters 1962, XV, 256).
Synon. Caryocatactes, Picicorvus.