WatchList Species Account for Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)

Qualifies for the list as a Red List Species

Photo: USFWS

Federally listed as threatened, the Florida Scrub-Jay, Florida’s only endemic bird, is found in the north and central Peninsular part of the state; key sites for it include Ocala National Forest, Canaveral Seashore, Avon Park Airforce Base, and Archbold Biological Station. Listed as federally threatened, it has declined from about 10,000 breeding pairs in 1993 to about 4,000 breeding pairs today.

Today’s numbers are probably no more than 10% of presettlement times. Its habitat is dry shrub and scrubby areas with several species of evergreen oaks which rarely exceed 2 m in height, with a ground cover dominated by saw palmetto. Prime habitat may also include up to 15% cover of slash pines and sand pines. This rare xeric community occurs only on porous sandy soils and contains 18 federally listed plants. Optimal habitat develops 5-15 years after a fire. The jays rarely wander far from where they were fledged. Their breeding system has been the subject of much study; the a pair establishes a permanent territory with offspring from previous years operating as nest helpers.

Threats include habitat destruction and fragmentation brought about by urban development and agriculture. Fire suppression creates late successional habitat which causes the birds to abandon the area. Off-road vehicles may be causing disturbance to the species in Ocala National Forest. To survive, the species needs large areas of diverse oak scrub away from human settlement, burned regularly during the growing season before acorn caching is complete, and before hawk migration begins. Areas should be 700 acres or more to support the 40 or so territories needed to create long-term self-sustaining populations. Fires should ideally be managed to cover patches rather than very large areas to allow small refuges for the family groups which are faithful to specific territories. Mechanical clearing of denser growth may be necessary prior to burning in some areas. Ideally habitat islands should be corridor connected to each other by not more than 4 km of scrub habitat. Translocations of nest helpers to new habitat islands will likely be required to establish new breeding populations due to the sedentary nature of the species.