[nuht-krak-er] 
| 1. | an instrument or device for cracking the shells of nuts. |
| 2. | any of several corvine birds of the genus Nucifraga that feed on nuts, as the common nutcracker, N. caryocatactes, of Europe and Clark's nutcracker, N. columbiana, of the western U.S. |
| nut·crack·er (nŭt'krāk'ər) n.
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| nut·hatch (nŭt'hāch') n. Any of several small, short-tailed birds of the family Sittidae, having a long sharp bill and known for climbing down trees headfirst. Also called nutcracker. [Middle English notehache : note, nut; see nut + hache, hatchet (from Old French, perhaps of Germanic origin, from its habit of wedging nuts in bark and hacking them open).] |
nutcracker
either of two sharp-billed, short-tailed birds belonging to the family Corvidae (q.v.; order Passeriformes), found in coniferous forests. The Eurasian nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes) ranges from Scandinavia to Japan and has isolated populations in mountains farther south. It is 32 centimetres (12 12 inches) long and brownish, with white streaking and white tail tip. Clark's nutcracker (N. columbiana) of western North America is pale gray, with black wings and tail, showing white patches in flight. Both species live chiefly on seeds and nuts, which they often store underground for winter use.
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