The bird was described by the Lewis and Clark expedition, with William Clark first observing it in 1805 along the banks of the Salmon River, a tributary of the Columbia.
Its scientific name literally means "nutcracker of the Columbia."
Lewis recorded a more detailed description in 1806.
A skin collected by the expedition was obtained by the ornithologist Alexander Wilson, who used it to produce an  engraving for his monumental American Ornithology.
The bird was described by the Lewis and Clark expedition, with William Clark first observing it in 1805 along the banks of the Salmon River, a tributary of the Columbia. Its scientific name literally means "nutcracker of the Columbia." Lewis recorded a more detailed description in 1806. A skin collected by the expedition was obtained by the ornithologist Alexander Wilson, who used it to produce an  engraving for his monumental American Ornithology.
Clark's nutcracker