The population of the only bird that lives solely in Florida, the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), is declining at a rate that threatens its survival, according to a federal wildlife report. The report by Raoul Boughton and Reed Bowman at Archbold Biological Station in Lake Placid, was the result of the first Florida scrub-jay survey on public and private conservation lands in nearly two decades. The Florida scrub-jay has been listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act since 1987 because the species' population has declined by about 90 percent since European settlement. An earlier survey showed Florida scrub-jays had already disappeared from 10 of the 39 Florida counties in which they had existed as recently as the 1980s, and the overall population had declined by 50 percent since the 1980s. The Florida Scrub-Jay was officially listed as a threatened state species by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 1975 and it was listed as a threatened federal species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987.
The Florida Scrub-Jay is found only in Florida scrub habitat, an ecosystem that exists only in central Florida and is characterized by nutrient-poor soil, occasional drought and frequent wildfires. Scrub habitat has dwindled considerably in the past several decades as Florida has continued to develop. Wildfire suppression also leads to the natural succession of large oaks and trees which changes the habitat. In recent years, environmental groups within the state have made a strong effort at preserving Florida's remaining scrub through controlled burns and even clearing out areas of large trees to increase the size of a scrub habitat.
Florida Scrub-Jays are omnivorous, and eat a wide variety of acorns, seeds, peanuts, insects, tree frogs, turtles, snakes, lizards, and young mice. However, fledgling Scrub-Jays 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.
Sources: The Ledger, 6 November 2011
http://www.theledger.com/article/20111106/NEWS/111109546?tc=ar
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Scrub_Jay
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