Florida scrub jay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Florida scrub jay |
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Aphelocoma
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coerulescens
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The Florida scrub jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is a special type of scrub jay found only in Florida. It's the only bird species that lives only in Florida. This makes it very unique! It has lived in Florida for at least 2 million years.
This bird is about 23 to 28 centimeters (9 to 11 inches) long. It weighs about 66 to 92 grams (2.3 to 3.2 ounces). Its wings can spread out 33 to 36 centimeters (13 to 14 inches). The Florida scrub jay has a strong black beak. Its head and neck are blue, but it doesn't have a crest (a feathery tuft). It has a white forehead and a white stripe above its eye. Its chest is blue, and its wings are also blue. The underside of its body is grayish, and its back is gray. It has a long blue tail and black legs and feet.
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Where Florida Scrub Jays Live and What They Eat
The Florida scrub jay lives only in a special place called Florida scrub habitat. This type of land is found mostly in central Florida. It has poor soil, sometimes gets very dry, and often has wildfires. This habitat has been separate for millions of years. Because of this, it has its own unique plants. These include sand pine, sand live oak, and Florida rosemary.
Florida scrub jays eat many different things. They are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and animals. Their diet includes acorns, seeds, peanuts, insects, tree frogs, turtles, snakes, lizards, and young mice. Sometimes, they might eat other birds' eggs or babies, but this is rare.
These birds are very good at storing food. They bury thousands of acorns each year just under the ground. They usually bury acorns in the fall and eat them in winter and spring. Any acorns they forget or miss can sprout. This helps different kinds of oak trees grow. Scrub jays have also been seen taking shiny things, like silverware.
How Florida Scrub Jays Reproduce
Florida scrub jays are one of the few birds in North America that breed cooperatively. This means that young birds, called fledglings, stay with their parents for a few years. They help their parents raise new babies. They also watch for animals that might hurt them, like short-tailed hawks. They also help protect their family's area from other scrub jay families. These bird families can have between 2 and 8 members.
After about 2 to 3 years, young scrub jays leave their family group. They then find a mate and start their own families. The mating season is from March to June. A female bird usually lays 3 to 4 eggs. The eggs hatch in about 17 days. The baby birds are ready to fly in about 16 to 19 days.
You can tell young scrub jays apart from adult birds. Their head feathers are brown instead of blue. As they grow up, these brown feathers slowly turn blue.
Protecting the Florida Scrub Jay
The scrub habitat where these birds live has become much smaller. This is because Florida has grown a lot. Also, stopping wildfires changes the habitat. Wildfires are natural and help keep the scrub healthy. Without them, large oaks and other trees grow too much. This changes the land that scrub jays need.
In recent years, groups have worked hard to save Florida's scrub land. They use controlled burns to help the habitat. They also clear out big trees to make more scrub area. This species is sensitive to climate change. This is because scrub habitat needs specific conditions.
The Florida scrub jay was listed as a threatened species in Florida in 1975. The United States government also listed it as threatened in 1987.
In 1993, there were about 4,000 breeding pairs left. Even with protection, the number of Florida scrub jays is still going down. In Brevard County, which once had many scrub jays, their numbers have dropped by about 33% since 1993.
There's a campaign to make the Florida scrub jay the new state bird of Florida. The current state bird, the northern mockingbird, is also the state bird for many other states. But the scrub jay lives only in Florida.
Some people think the Florida scrub jay should be listed as an Endangered Species. This is because they are losing their homes. However, environmentalists hope that current efforts will help the population stabilize.
The IUCN says this species is vulnerable to extinction. In 2004, the population was shrinking. There were no more than 10 separate groups of these birds. Both the number of adult birds and the quality of their habitat were getting worse. About 8,000 adult birds were thought to exist. No single group had more than 1,000 birds. The population had dropped by about 10% in the last ten years.
A long-term study of the Florida scrub jay is happening at the Archbold Biological Station in Lake Placid.
Dangers of Humans Feeding Florida Scrub Jays
Florida scrub jays are curious and smart birds. They are also very tame. This means they will often take food right from human hands.
However, this tameness can be dangerous for them. If humans feed Florida scrub jays, the birds will lay eggs earlier in the year. But young scrub jays, called fledglings, mainly eat caterpillars that are common in late spring and summer. If the babies hatch too early, there might not be enough caterpillars. This can lead to the young birds not getting enough food or even starving.
Another danger of feeding scrub jays is when people feed them near roads. Many scrub jays in cities are killed by cars. Humans build neighborhoods, roads, and highways where scrub jays like to live. This loss of their homes, along with pets like cats that are not on leashes, has greatly hurt scrub jay populations. In the last 100 years, 90% of these birds have been lost.
Gallery
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Two adults at Lyonia Preserve
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Adult
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Brown-colored head of a juvenile
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Juvenile beginning to develop blue coloration on its head
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Juvenile at Juniper Prairie in Ocala National Forest
Images for kids
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A Florida Scrub Jay explores its surroundings
See also
In Spanish: Chara floridana para niños
