Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 9.1–11 in
23–28 cm - Wingspan
- 13–14.2 in
33–36 cm - Weight
- 2.3–3.2 oz
66–92 g
Other Names
- Geai à gorge blanche (French)
- Urraca azuleja de Florida (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Florida Scrub-Jay is a well-studied cooperative breeder, with most offspring staying with their parents to help them raise young for at least one year.
- The Florida Scrub-Jay used to be considered part of one species, the Scrub Jay, together with the Western and Island scrub-jays. Genetic evidence showed that the Florida birds were genetically quite different from the western jays.
- Individual members of a Florida Scrub-Jay family take turns watching for hawks while the rest of the family looks for food. If a dangerous hawk is seen, the sentinel gives an alarm call and everyone dives for cover. A different call alerts the family to snakes and other dangers on the ground, and the entire family will join in mobbing a terrestrial predator.
- When not persecuted, and especially when provided with food, the Florida Scrub-Jay becomes very tame. It will readily perch on a person's hand, arm, or head to get food.
- Because of its highly restricted choice of habitat and low dispersal ability, populations of the Florida Scrub-Jay have become very isolated. Jays from the Atlantic Coast, central Florida, and southwestern Florida differ in some of their vocalizations, despite being separated by less than 100 miles.
Habitat
Scrub
Restricted to Florida oak scrub and scrubby flatwoods found on prehistoric and current sand dunes. Found in scrub with patches of open sand and an open tree canopy. Disappears without periodic burning of habitat.
Food
Omnivore
Arthropods, acorns, and small vertebrates.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–6 eggs
- Egg Description
- Greenish with brownish spots concentrated near large end.
- Condition at Hatching
- Naked and helpless.
Nest Description
Nest an open cup of twigs, lined with thick lining of palmetto fibers or rootlets. Nest placed in low dense shrub.
Nest Placement
Tree
Behavior
Ground Forager
Gleans insects from trees, shrubs, and ground. Harvests and hides (caches) thousands of acorns and other nuts. Holds food under feet to peck at it.
Credits
- Woolfenden, G. E., and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). In The Birds of North America, No. 228 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.