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Spring 2004 - V.19 N.1 Table of Content |
Florida Scrub Jay | |||||||||
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Species Spotlight Archives Southeastern Beach Mouse Bottlenose Dolphin Roseate Spoonbill The Green Buttonwood The Common Snook Small Tooth Sawfish Sea Rocket Lakela's Mint |
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The threatened Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) inhabits, low growing, young oak scrub habitat found on well-drained sandy soils. It also persist in areas with sparser oaks or scrub areas that are overgrown, but at much lower numbers. Its crestless head, wings and tail are pale blue, and the back and belly pale gray. Juveniles have fluffy brown heads. Similar in size and shape to the familiar blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) the scrub jay lacks the
crest and white spotting on wings and tail that are characteristic of the blue jay. The Florida scrub jay is the only species of bird restricted entirely to Florida. This species employs a cooperative breeding system in which up to six one-year-old birds help the breeding pair by feeding young, and defending the territory. A new nest is built about one meter from the ground, and usually only one brood of 3-4 eggs is laid every year. Reproductive success is controlled by food availability, which is typically habitat-dependent. Diet consists of insects, acorns and lizards. Continuing loss, fragmentation and degradation of scrub habitat has resulted in a decline of greater than 90 percent of the original pre- settlement population of Florida
scrub jays. Scrub jays are susceptible to population crashes because of catastrophic fires or disease, so protection of additional secure populations is essential.