Kashmir Nutcracker

The Kashmir, or large-spotted, nutcracker is a distinctive corvid with heavily streaked and spotted plumage, 32–35 cm long, which until recently was considered a subspecies of the northern nutcracker. The crown and nape are blackish, the head sides and body blackish grey-brown, with heavy white streaking, spotting and striping on the body, and the glossy black wings have white tips on the coverts and secondaries. Females weigh 155–173 g and males 165–177 g (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found in the western Himalaya, in eastern Afghanistan, north and west Pakistan, Kashmir and extreme north-western India, at 1,000–4,000 m though mainly at 2,000–3,000 m on alpine slopes. The most common call is a loud, harsh, nasal kraa, usually doubled or tripled and repeated rapidly six or seven times, and begging juveniles make calls somewhat like the squealing of little pigs. SoIB 2023 treats it as a Western Himalayan endemic and rates it a Moderate conservation priority, with a Restricted range of about 20,300 km² (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).