Clark’s Nutcracker and the Whitebark Pine

BirdNote^®

Clark’s Nutcracker and the Whitebark Pine

Written by Mark Bramhill

Tenijah Hamilton: This is BirdNote. 

    [Clark’s Nutcracker calls]

Clark’s Nutcracker is a clever corvid that has a special relationship with a tree called the whitebark pine. Unlike most trees, whitebark pine cones don't open on their own. Clark’s Nutcracker is one of the few species that can pry these tough cones open. And they have huge seeds inside. High effort, high reward. And the nutcrackers will hide, or ‘cache’, these seeds for winter, especially in areas of burned forest. As Lisa Bate, a wildlife biologist at Glacier National Park explains, this is a huge win for both species:

Lisa Bate: They are so smart that they can remember where 98% of those seeds have been cached, but it's the 2%, the one to 2% that they can't remember, or they don't get to. That's what germinates into the next generation of whitebark pine. So it is— it's just this fabulous mutualistic relationship that's evolved over the millennium. 

Tenijah Hamilton: The birds even have a special adaptation for carrying those seeds around — and Lisa is a big fan:

Lisa Bate: This is like the most amazing thing about Clark's Nutcrackers. They are the only birds in North America with a sublingual pouch. That means a pouch under the tongue. And they have co-evolved with whitebark pine to collect those seeds. They put 'em in that little pouch. 

    [Clark’s Nutcracker calls]

Tenijah Hamilton: Learn how changes in the environment are affecting the bond between the birds and the trees on our podcast, Bring Birds Back. Find it in your favorite podcast app, or on our website, BirdNote.org. I'm Tenijah Hamilton.

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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Content Director: Allison Wilson
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Clark’s Nutcracker ML 13503 recorded by James M. Hartshorne.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote   December 2022         
Narrator: Tenijah Hamilton

ID# PodBBB-21-2022-12-08    PodBBB-21