Taiga

The taiga is a cold forested biome. There are three variants in the biome family, though there are also two other closely related families; snowy taigas and giant tree taigas.

Description
Taiga biomes are essentially a colder counterpart to the lush forest biomes. Only spruce trees may grow in taigas, compared to oak and birch trees in forests. Due to the structure of spruce trees, being more tall than wide, the foliage is somewhat less dense than in forests, but still dense enough to possibly get players lost. The terrain is flatter than in forests, though still slightly hilly. Wolves spawn in all taiga variants, and at slightly higher rates than in forests, making wolves generally more plentiful in taigas. Rabbits additionally spawn in taigas, though aren't often seen due to wolves chasing after them and killing them. In the brand-new Java Edition 1.14 update, foxes and sweet berry bushes can be found in taiga biomes. Villages occasionally generate within the taiga and are appropriately made of spruce wood. Due to the cooler climate, rainfall changes to snowfall at higher elevations within taigas; however, this rarely happens within the normal taiga, as the terrain is not usually steep enough to reach the snowfall line.

Like forests, taigas are one of the most preferred biomes to start out in. The abundance of wood, mild terrain and useful passive mobs make this biome easy to adapt to for beginners. Generated villages can also serve as a handy refuge and as a trading post should one be found. Taigas share the same dangers of forests, however; a player can get lost within the trees easily if they don't mark their trails, and the foliage can lead to obstructed vision, especially at night.

Variants
There are a total of three different Taiga biome variants.

Taiga
Taiga is the standard taiga biome variant, featuring relatively even terrain forested entirely by spruce trees. Villages and outposts may generate here, and wolves and foxes can spawn here.

Taiga Hills
Taiga Hills, like all other hills biomes in the game, feature steeper terrain compared to the base taiga biome. The increased elevation makes snowfall more likely to appear within this variant, typically at the tops of trees or tall peaks. Villages do not generate in this biome, though wolves and foxes still spawn.

Taiga Mountains
The rare Taiga Mountains variant are much steeper than the taiga hills, with peaks frequently crossing the snowfall line. The steep terrain makes this a more difficult version of the regular taiga. Like the hills, villages will not generate here, though wolves and foxes may still spawn.