Florida Scrub Jay

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Florida Scrub Jay
Note: I revised this post to incorporate some of the information I've received from wonderful comments below and emails I've received.

The last time I went to Merritt Island, I decided to go by Scrub Ridge Trail to find a Florida Scrub Jay.  To my surprise, I found four almost immediately, and I also saw two people there photographing the sight.  Then a strange thing happened.  One man put out his finger, and the Scrub Jay flew onto his finger for a minute, then it jumped onto his baseball cap and started pecking on the top of the cap.  Then I saw another Scrub Jay fly down to the ground, pick up a peanut and fly away.

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Florida Scrub Jay
There are signs posted that state that feeding Scrub Jays is illegal.  So while I came away with some nice closeup pictures, I was more than a little irritated with this couple once I realized what was happening.  Feeding Scrub Jays is a violation of federal law for several reasons:
  1. Feeding jays by roadsides has been linked to scrub jays being hit by cars.
  2. Peanuts and processed foods are not part of their normal diet that they have been adapted to consume, and they are not as healthy for them.  It's Scrub Jay junk food. 
  3. It's not good for Scrub Jays to become tame, conditioned to humans and dependent on them for food.  This has to be of particular concern on a wildlife refuge where humans and jays are frequently in contact with each other.
  4. When Scrub Jays come out of cover to eat human food in the open grass, they become more visible to predators.
  5. When Scrub Jays are fed peanuts, they tend to breed prematurely.  Young jays are hatched to early to be fed the insects like caterpillars and grasshoppers they need for healthy growth.  So young Scrub Jays are more likely to be malnourished and the survival rate of chicks decreases.
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Florida Scrub Jay
Florida Scrub Jays are easily one of my favorite species of birds.  They are highly intelligent and highly social.  Scrub Jays mate for life, and the young often stay with the family for an extended period of time.  Some postpone breeding for up to six years, during which time they help protect the family.  You'll see them act as sentinels, warning not only their family, but other species, of nearby predators.  They also bury acorns in the sand to store them for future consumption. Some of these germinate, which helps to promote the growth of scrub oaks in the scrub environment.   That is to say, the Florida Scrub Jay is one cool bird.

Comments

  1. Beautiful images and a wonderful post Scott. I really wish that people would follow the laws and signs concerning birds.

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  2. A super cool bird. Do you know if the other Scrub Jay species have such a tight-knit clan?
    That's a shame about the hand feeding, but I've also seen/read about researchers using such practices to get closer to the birds: http://www.nemesisbird.com/2012/01/nuts-for-peanuts/

    I've always associated peanuts with the southern states, though not Florida. Do you think it was part of the Scrub Kay diet before their range became much more restricted?

    Interesting post with some lovely photos. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks! I don't know much about the western scrub jays. I believe that the FL species was originally the same as the western, and it came to FL when sea level was lower and scrub environments were continuous into FL. Now that sea level is higher, they've been cut off and have become their own species. But I imagine that much of their behavior is similar.

      On their diet, I wish I knew more about it, but I'm not sure peanuts would grow in scrub environments. I've heard that researchers will use peanuts to attract them for research, which does make sense to me since it's such a limited use.

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  3. Great photos and post Scott! There is park nearby that is well known for the Scrub Jays where the same issue exists. The Scrub Jays here seem to have no fear of people. One of the folks who works for the county told me Scrub Jays should also not be fed because it disturbs their breeding. If the Jays are fed to much they will breed to early in the season when there is not enough food available for the fledglings. I think the signs at the parks should include the dangers to the Scrub Jays are as most people are completely unaware.

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    1. I didn't know that. I did read that feeding them during breeding season may cause them to feed the peanuts to their young, which isn't healthy for them. Thanks for letting me know.

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    2. I understand that habitat destruction is responsible for the decreasing presence of these birds in my area. I feed birds but mostly have the larger grackles, cowbirds, starlings, occasional cardinal, warblers, goldfinches in winter garb and I did see one scrub jay at the suet but only a short glimpse and perhaps it was a northern mockingbird. I don't feed peanuts at all.

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  4. Thank you for this post, Scott. A few weeks ago I came across a Meetup group that planned a field trip to feed Florida Scrub-Jays. This was posted on a public site - I couldn't believe it! I was incensed, like you, and I contacted the preserve authorities about the planned illegal activity. I have a draft blog post about illegal feeding that I have been meaning to publish, but it wouldn't say much different than what you have here.

    One aside, I kind of wish you didn't post the photo of the bird on the hand. I think photos like this (and there are a lot out there) make people think it's normal behavior and it's okay to feed them. I guess I'm kind of conflicted on this issue (the photos), and I really don't mean any offense to you. It's just something I've been thinking about lately.

    To expand just a bit on what Tammy said, baby Florida Scrub-Jays feed on caterpillars and other insects. If the birds breed earlier, their offspring are more in danger of malnutrition when they are hatched before the insect population is sufficient to sustain them.

    @Laurence, there is another post on the Nemesis Bird blog about the Florida Scrub-Jay that you might want to read: http://www.nemesisbird.com/2011/11/truly-rare-birds/. Many believe the jay is the most likely of any endangered species to become extinct in our lifetime.

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    1. Amy, that's a very good point about the photo. Maybe I should take it down.

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  5. Florida Scrub-Jays feed by humans will reproduce earlier in the year than those that are not. Fledglings feed primarily on caterpillars present in the late spring and summer: if they hatch too early in the year when the caterpillars are not available, this can lead to their malnutrition or starvation.

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