The spotted nutcracker is a distinctive, relatively large songbird that lives in the conifer forests of Europe and Asia and specializes on pine seeds and nuts. It has broad wings, a strong bill with short nasal tufts, a short tail, and striking white spots on a dark brown body. Wings and crown are blacker, and the lores and vent are white.

Some authors consider the nutcracker in the Himalayas to be a distinct species, the larger spotted nutcracker, Nucifraga multipunctata.