Nut-cracker (Nucifraga), a genus of birds of the family Corvidæ, with a straight, stout, conical bill, both mandibles terminating in an obtuse point, and tail nearly square at the end. Four species are known, ranging from northern Europe and Arctic Siberia to the Himalayas and China. One species (N. caryocatactes) is occasionally seen in Britain and is not uncommon in many parts of Europe and of Asia, particularly in mountainous regions covered with pines. It is about 12 inches long. The plumage is light brown, speckled with white, except on the wings, rump, and tail, which are nearly black. The female shows a somewhat redder brown colour on the wing-feathers. The nut-cracker frequents the tops of the high pine-trees, its favourite food being the seeds of the pine cones, which it extracts, holding the cone in its foot. Its diet, however, is often very varied. Its nest is built of sticks, roots, and grass, and lined with moss or lichens, on the bough of a tree near the stem and at some distance from the ground.—A closely allied species (N. multipunctata) is found in Cashmere, and a larger species (N. hemispila), with browner plumage, in the Himalayas.