Spotted nutcracker

When looking towards the Cime des Arbres in the Gorgias valley, you may spot this small passerine of the Corvidae family. With a long and powerful blackish beak, it also has brown feathers speckled with white.In the Alps, it is always to be found around Swiss pines. As a granivore, it has the singular habit of preparing food for winter, which it hides in the ground, such as cones from the Swiss pine. It has a surprisingly good memory, returning in the winter to the hiding places, even when a thick blanket of snow lies on the ground.Its nest, perched in a conifer, is built to provide insulation from the freezing weather.