banded scrub jay
Aphelocoma coerulescens (5 shots of the same individual); located in scrub habitat near the Venetian section of the intracoastal waterway, near the Gulf Coast. This is the only bird species endemic to Florida, but it is legally classified as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act; biologists estimate that there are fewer than 4,000 birds scattered across the state in scrub habitat that is rapidly dwindling due to over-development. It is closely related to the western scrub jay species. It is omnivorous but caches acorns and remembers where they are located. It lives in small family groups that exhibit cooperative breeding: offspring from recent years stay near their parents and help guard the nest, watching for potential predators and feeding their younger siblings, even at the expense of their own individual reproductive success. We observed bald eagles and swallow-tailed kites in the same area.
March 29, 2023
Venice, Florida
banded scrub jay
Aphelocoma coerulescens (5 shots of the same individual); located in scrub habitat near the Venetian section of the intracoastal waterway, near the Gulf Coast. This is the only bird species endemic to Florida, but it is legally classified as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act; biologists estimate that there are fewer than 4,000 birds scattered across the state in scrub habitat that is rapidly dwindling due to over-development. It is closely related to the western scrub jay species. It is omnivorous but caches acorns and remembers where they are located. It lives in small family groups that exhibit cooperative breeding: offspring from recent years stay near their parents and help guard the nest, watching for potential predators and feeding their younger siblings, even at the expense of their own individual reproductive success. We observed bald eagles and swallow-tailed kites in the same area.
March 29, 2023
Venice, Florida