Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)
Crow and Jay Family (Corvidae)
The Florida Scrub-Jay is a mostly blue bird with a thin white to chalky gray eyebrow line and forehead, dark blue-gray cheek, pale gray throat bordered by a streaked blue-gray breast band, gray belly, and bluish-gray back, reaching about 1 foot tall. Juveniles have a gray-brown head and grayish back, with blue on the wings and tail. The nest is cup-shaped and made from oak twigs and lined with scrub palmetto fibers, usually in an oak 1-3 m off ground. Its call includes a raspy kwesh and a low-pitched zhreek, females make a hick sound. It breeds from late February through June. It does not migrate. It defends its territories in groups of related birds in a cooperative breeding system with a sentinel frequently perched high to watch for predators. Found only in peninsular Florida. It is frequently found in scrub and scrubby flatwoods. It does best in open areas without a dense canopy (i.e., greater than 50% canopy cover taller than 9 feet tall) and with scrub oaks. It eats mostly insects and acorns when insects are scarce. It will stash acorns for lean times. Listed as threatened federally and by the state of Florida.
Copyright Brett Miley
