Hazel

La Hazel is a bird belonging to the family Corvidae, distributed over a wide range extending from Scandinavia to northern Europe, the coniferous forests of the Siberian taiga, and eastern Asia, including Japan. In Italy, it is found mainly in the Alps, where it prefers the thickest evergreen trees for nesting. Hazel is associated with the presence of stone pine or, in its absence, hazelnuts, which are one of its main food sources during late summer and spring.

The nutcracker has a compact build, with a large, dagger-shaped black beak that is particularly suitable for breaking conifer seeds. The tail is short and truncated, while the wings are broad and rounded. The plumage is dark brown, with clearly visible white spots; the wings are black, and the tail has a white tip that contrasts with the undertail, which is also white. Its head is slender, lacking the characteristic tuft of the jay, and its beak is significantly larger than that of other similar corvids, such as the jay.

There are three disjunct populations of hazelnut trees that occupy different areas: one in the mountains of central and southeastern Europe (Alps, Carpathians, Balkan Peninsula); one in the western Himalayas; and one on the coast of western China, separate from the northern one. Some of these populations can be distinguished by beak size.

Similar in morphology to the jay, the hazelnut differs in its larger beak and slimmer head. It is one of two hazelnut species in the genus Nucifraga; the other species, Clark's hazelnut (Nucifraga columbiana), lives in western North America as a vicarious species.