Florida Scrub Jay

The Florida Scrub Jay threatened and endangered

The Florida Scrub Jay is found only in the state of Florida. These birds are about a foot long from head to tail and mostly blue. They are similar in appearance to common blue jays. They have a light gray forehead and white throat. Their crestless head is blue, and so are their wings and long, loose, tail feathers. Their beak and legs are black, and their back and leg feathers are gray. Young ones, less than six months old, have a brownish head and neck.

Florida Scrub Jays have a varied diet. Acorns are their favorite. They eat them all year long, especially during winter when insects, their next favorite meal, are scarce. They gather and bury thousands of acorns that they can feed on at any time. They also prey on spiders and lizards, and young frogs, snakes and mice. But without live food, they are content pecking on berries, sunflower seeds, corn and peanuts.

The Florida Scrub Jay thrives in a scrub habitat. The scrub habitat is extremely dry, consisting of scrub oaks, pine scrub and wax myrtle in sandy soil. Most of this scrub consists of the bare ground which has a few plants that are less than half a foot tall and trees that are less than ten feet tall. These trees are wide apart, and therefore provide minimal canopy cover. Also, the ground does not hold water well. Florida scrub jays don't do well in damp and dark forests, so the dry, sandy, open locations in the state are what they call home.

Since the scrub is relatively high and dry, it is also prone to human habitation. The scrub is relatively easy to clear and build structures on. Some scrub habitats that were once home to the Florida scrub jay have been converted to residential and commercial areas.

Environmental experts have actually reported that the Florida scrub is one of the most endangered ecosystems in all of North America.
As most of the scrub habitats have been urbanized, and as development continues destroying and fragmenting the birds natural habitat, they are becoming more and more scarce. Busy roads, house pets and other things that go along with human habitation, have become serious threats to the jays' survival.

The scrub jay is naturally curious and gregarious. One can get very close to them in the small trees of the scrub. Their natural fearlessness also contributes to their endangerment. They have been known to land on the head of a person. They are friendly enough to eat nuts and seeds from the palm of a person's hand.

The Florida scrub jay mates for life. A breeding pair establishes a permanent territory of about twenty five acres, which they protect from other Florida scrub jays. They build their nests in shallow baskets of twigs and palmetto fibers, which is about eight feet above the ground. They raise one to two chicks from three to four eggs a year.

It was thought that displaced bird families could simply move to another home in another scrub area. This, however, is not the case because the Florida scrub jay is highly territorial. Disruption of habitat quickly leads to upset reproduction, rejection and isolation.

The hatch lings stay with the primary family for a year or so, helping to feed the next brood and standing watch for predators and trespassers. Families stay together in the same territory for many years. This strict territoriality makes it hard for the Florida scrub jay to adapt to another scrub after their established homes have been compromised. The relocating of them simply doesn't work.

The last recorded population count of Florida scrub jays is just a little over 2,000, mostly located in the Kennedy Space Center but also in some scattered scrubs all over central and southern Florida.

Hopefully, while now labeled as threatened and protected by the United St ates Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, the jays will have a fighting chance at survival in their designated preserves and sanctuaries.