Scrub-jay up close and curious

One question that nagged me about restoration efforts: if scrub-jays don’t like to move very far, how do they find these newly restored habitats? Dr. Woolfenden explained the concept. Scrub-jays that are ready to breed move out of their family’s domain to establish another, as each family vigorously defends its own territory. This dispersal of birds can be across habitats that are not perfect for the scrub-jay, but will do in a pinch. “Scrub-jays disperse well though poorly improved pasture land (with some shrubs and palmetto), golf courses, rural suburbs, and wide road shoulders. Scrub-jays disperse poorly through or over forests or over major expanses of water.”

Despite rampant development in Deltona, small populations of scrub-jays have persisted, leading to the dispersal into Lyonia Preserve. Says Randall Sleister, “I’ve lived in Deltona for 15, 16 years, and have seen remnant scrub-jays scattered through the area, hanging around dried-up lakes during the drought. There are some up by the Sterling Park Subdivision, and some by Howland, near the high school.”

Despite restoration efforts, the statewide population of the Florida scrub-jay continues to drop—only 10% of the original population remains, according to Audubon of Florida. Designated a Federally threatened species in 1987, the scrub-jay continues a slide towards extinction due to its small population size, fragmentation of habitat, and ongoing degradation of habitat. By 1993, during the last comprehensive statewide survey of the population, less than 10,000 birds remained.

“Loss of habitat to human uses is the major threat to the species’ survival,” says Dr. Woolfenden. “Management of the land we save for the species is the next most critical issue.”

With restoration efforts like those in Lyonia Preserve, Malabar Scrub Sanctuary, and others, we can only hope to offset a fraction of the damage done to this dwindling species by the relentless development of Florida’s scrub.