Rare Florida Scrub-Jays
The Florida scrub habitat is home to
several endemic species, animals
that live nowhere else on Earth
except for one particular region.
The most famous endemic scrub
species is the Florida scrubjay.
This gregarious blue and
gray bird was once a common
sight in Florida’s uplands.
But due to habitat loss and
degradation the population
has dwindled. Here at Duette
Preserve the Florida scrubjay
is a fantastic success story.
When the preserve lands were rst
acquired in the 1980s, scientists
estimated that the site’s remaining birds would disappear by the
1990s if steps were not taken to preserve them. The County
actively implemented a plan to remove and reduce trees that
had grown too tall in the birds’ preferred habitat and engaged
in other management activities as well. The birds will only be
present in areas of scrub that are healthy, with trees and shrubs
at the appropriate height for this type of habitat. When the trees
become too tall, predatory birds move in and the jays will leave.
Soon, the Florida scrub-jay families in the area expanded and
the population in Duette Preserve stabilized and is continuing to
grow.
Florida scrub-jays are considered a keystone species in the
scrub habitat because they play a vital role in planting new trees.
By caching hundreds of oak acorns each year, the birds create
new plants from the acorns they fail to relocate. When the trees
mature they provide new habitat for the birds, and their acorns
provide food for numerous creatures, beneting many of the
scrub residents.
One of the management tools utilized to maintain the scrub
habitat is prescribed re. Many of Florida’s habitats are re
dependent, requiring re at some point in time to support natural
processes such as growth of new plants. In the scrub, res occur
about every to 10 years, less frequently than in the atwoods,
but still remain an important event.
For many years at Duette, re was
excluded from the ecosystem,
resulting in areas that became
overgrown and piled high with
combustible fuels. Manatee
County’s progressive prescribed
re program was developed
to assist in restoring the land,
eliminating fuel that could lead
to wildres, and re-establishing a
more natural re cycle.
Adult Florida Scrub-Jay
Photos by Billie Knight (top)
George Quittner (bottom)