One of the birds with possibly the best memory is a common bird found in the Rocky Mountains – the Clark’s Nutcracker.  This unassuming bird can often be seen around campgrounds and has an incredible memory.

I remember the first time that I learned about this bird.  One summer on a family camping trip up to Glacier National Park we listened to a ranger talk in the evening.  That ranger was super entertaining and knowledgable.  During his presentation he talked about the amazing memory of the Clark’s Nutcracker.  Well, here is a little bit more information about this amazing bird and why it probably has the best memory of all birds.

Basic Facts About Clark’s Nutcracker

The Clark’s Nutcracker is a medium sized bird, growing up to 12 inches tall.  It resembles a Western Scrub Jay except that it is mainly gray and has a shorter tail.

It lives in conifer forests throughout the Rocky Mountains.

Why Does This Bird Have The Best Memory?

This bird is an omnivore, meaning that it eats seeds, nuts, and insects.  In the winter it does not migrate to a different area, but stays and is active in the area it lives.  However, it does adapt slightly in terms of what it eats.  During the fall it finds and hides thousands of pine seeds.  In fact, it may hide up to 30,000 pine seeds during the fall!

Then during the long, cold winter of the Rockies the Clark’s Nutcracker will uncover those pine seeds and eat them.  It seems that the birds use clues in the landscape to help them remember and then find those stored pine nuts.  For example, they use certain logs or boulders as clues.

That is a clever trick of adaptation, but what is astonishing is the fact that this bird is able to remember nearly all of those thousands of different spots.

Can you imagine doing the same thing with your money?  That would be like taking all of your money and hiding it in hundreds of places around your house and knowing exactly where all of them were!

The Pine Trees Benefit From The Clark’s Nutcracker

Every year there are some pine seeds that the bird will forget about.  Those forgotten seeds may then grow into new trees.  So, this bird’s behavior to bury seeds helps it out by providing food during winter.  But, it also helps the tree by dispersing the seeds so that they can grow into new trees.