Spotted Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes

The Spotted Nutcracker is native to much of Eurasia from Western Europe through to the Far East.

It inhabits (often high altitude) coniferous forests, eating pine nuts and other nuts/seeds and, like its relatives the jays, storing nuts in the ground for winter (aiding propagation). Photos of birds in flight by Alexandra Makhnina.

More aerobatic flight photos by Alexandra Makhnina.

Throwing some lovely shapes in flight!