This document provides a summary and analysis of a management plan for the threatened Florida scrub-jay. It begins with background on the scrub-jay species, including its habitat requirements and life history. It then summarizes the key components of the South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan, which includes management actions to protect scrub-jay habitat and populations. The analysis recommends additional research on scrub-jay dispersal habits to better design habitat corridors. It also recommends a continued focus on prescribed burning to maintain suitable scrub forest habitat, as mechanical alternatives do not provide the same long-term benefits. The analysis suggests updating the plan with current research and addressing disease risks to isolated scrub-jay populations.

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Management Plan Review
Tristan Sola
American Public University

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Introduction
Aohelocoma coerulescens, more commonly known as the Florida scrub-jay, is one of
several species of jay found throughout North America and the only bird species that is
endemic to peninsular Florida (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service [FWS], 1999). Once common
throughout the state, the Florida scrub-jay has suffered severe population declines primarily
due to the loss and destruction of its primary habitat, the oak scrub forest (Franzreb &
Zarnoch, 2011). As such, the Florida scrub-jay was identified as threatened species in 1987,
with current estimates placing their total population at less than ten thousand individuals
state-wide (Cornell, 2014). The majority of this population are found in relatively small,
isolated groups on federal and state protected lands (FWS, 1999).
Management Plan Description

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The South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan is a comprehensive living document
designed to detail the biology, ecology, status, management, and recovery actions for the
sixty-eight federally listed species found in southern Florida (FWS, 1999). The document's
ultimate purpose is facilitate the recovery of threatened and endangered species in south
Florida, as well as to assist in the restoration and maintenance of biodiversity in twenty-
three communities found within this portion of the state (1999).
The Florida Scrub-jay is one of the species addressed in the South Florida Multi-
Species Recovery Plan (FWS, 1999). The plan provides detailed information on the life
history of the Florida scrub-jay, its distribution throughout the state, the habitat
requirements of the bird, and the numerous threats and risks that face the species today
(1999).
Before analyzing the recovery plan for the Florida scrub-jay, it is important to
understand the scrub-jay as a species, the habitat it requires to achieve success, and the
various issues that are challenging the stability and recovery of the species.
Life History of the Florida Scrub-jay
Species description
Aphelocoma coerulescens are in the order Passeriformes and the family Corvidae
(FWS, 1999). A. coerulescens are considered a distinct species of jay, having been given full
species status in 1995 after genetic and behavioral differences between the Florida scrub-
jays and other members of its group were identified (1999).

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Florida scrub-jays are between 25 to 30 centimeters long (FWS, 1999), possess an
average wing-span of around 24 centimeters (Cornell, 2014), and weigh an average of 77
grams (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service [FWS], 1999). The Florida scrub-jays most distinctive
characteristic is the bright turquoise coloration that appears on its back, wings, and tail
(Alden, Cech, & Nelson, 1998). The belly ranges in coloration from gray to white, while the
bill and legs are black (1998). The other distinguishing characteristic of the Florida scrub-
jay, which sets it apart from other jays of the same group, is the lack of a crest on its head
(1998).
The identification of young Florida scrub-jays is fairly easy, as birds under five
months of age are uniformly gray in coloration, lacking the distinctive turquoise that is
present on adults of the species (FWS, 1999). It is considerably more difficult to
differentiate between males and females of the species, as they are appear nearly identical
in terms of size and coloration; the males are only slightly larger than the females, a
distinction that is hard to in the field (1999). The most effective method of identifying the
particular sex of a Florida scrub-jay is to listen to their vocalizations -- female scrub-jays
have a distinctive "hiccup" call, a sound the males of the species do not make (1999).
Reproductive strategy
Florida scrub-jays reside is groups as small as two individuals, to larger groups of
extended family members that include a combination of adults, juveniles, and fledglings
(FWS, 2013). Where these family groups exists, juvenile scrub-jays assist the dominant
breeding pair in predator detection, territorial defense, and the feeding of fledglings (FWS,
1999). By utilizing this cooperative system under optimal conditions, extended family
groups have positive effects on the survival rate of fledgling scrub-jays (1999).
While Scrub-jays can become breeders as early as their first year of life, it is more
typical for birds to begin reproducing between the ages of two and four (FWS, 2013). When

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a male scrub-jay is ready to become a breeder, it is typical for him to establish his own
territory prior to beginning his own family group (2013). The acquisition of a territory -- the
average of which is 9 hectares in size (NatureServe, 2013) -- can occur in a variety of ways
ranging including the creation of a new territory previously unutilized by other members of
the species; the inheritance of a previously established territory following the death of a
breeder; or by the adoption of the male from a different family group (FWS, 1999).
Following the establishment or acquisition of a territory, an elaborate courtship ritual
takes place between the new breeder male and females of the species (FWS, 2013). Once
paired, the breeding male and female will remain together in a monogamous relationship for
the duration of their lives; they only become separated following the death of one of the
pair (2013). Under optimal conditions, Florida scrub-jays possess an average lifespan of
15.5 years (FWS, 1999).
Breeding season for the scrub-jay occurs between the months of March and June
(FWS, 1999). The average clutch size is between three to five eggs, and incubation -- which
lasts around 17 to 18 days -- is performed solely by the female (1999). Breeder pairs
produce an average of two fledglings per year from the initial clutch of three to five eggs;
those two fledglings have, on average, a 35 percent chance to survive until adulthood
(1999). Once adulthood is reached, the survival chances of the bird increases to around 80
percent (1999).
Habitat Requirements of the Florida Scrub-jay
Oak scrub forest are the optimal habitat for scrub-jays (Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission [FFWCC], 2009). These scrub forests are comprised of expanses
of low-lying oaks and shrubs that are occasionally broken by open areas of white, sandy soil
(2009). This habitat was once common throughout peninsular Florida, but is now found only
in scattered, fragmented areas in the state (FFWCC, 2014). The largest remaining scrub

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forests are found in the central counties of the state of Florida -- primarily Marion, Polk, and
Highlands -- which coincides with the largest populations of Florida-scrub-jays.
The oak scrub forest are fire dependent; this means that the forest is kept healthy
and robust by infrequent, intense fires occurring every ten to twenty years (FFWCC, 2014).
When these fires do not occur, or are actively suppressed by humans, the scrub becomes
too dense and overgrown to support healthy populations of Florida scrub-jays, which require
the patchy clearings in the scrub for foraging and roosting (FWS, 1999). The more
overgrown the scrub in the forests becomes, the more resistant it is to fires; this in turn
makes the habitat increasingly less supportive of scrub-jay populations (1999).
Fire suppression is not the only threat to the oak scrub forests the Florida scrub-jay
requires to survive, as urbanization and the expansion of agricultural operations has also
resulted in the destruction or fragmentation of large tracts of this habitat (Franzreb &
Zarnoch, 2011). Between the years of 1920 to 1990, over 65% of optimal scrub-jay habitat
in the Indian River watershed was lost due to the land being converted for other uses, and a
16% decline in suitable habitat occurred between the years of 1989 to 2003 (Meyer, 2012).
Management Actions
The recovery plan for the Florida scrub-jay is geared towards stopping the decline,
and facilitating the growth, of the current Florida scrub-jay population (FWS, 1999). Doing
so requires a number of actions at both the species and habitat level, including the following
identified in the recovery plan (1999):
Species Level Recovery Actions
 Determine the distribution of Florida scrub-jays, as well as the current status and
range of scrub habitat in Florida (FWS, 1999). This can be achieved by updating the
1992-1993 statewide survey that examined scrub sites thought to be occupied by

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scrub-jays, and by updating existing GIS databases with the information obtained
from the updated survey (1999).
 Protect and enhance Florida scrub-jay populations by creating a reserve design using
landscape maps and population models (FWS, 1999). This requires identifying all
public and private lands where scrub-jays are present; identifying currently
uninhabited scrub suitable for restoration and future habitation by scrub-jays;
identifying additional private lands that could be used to create corridors allowing for
the dispersal of scrub-jays between occupied conservation lands; and creating
guidelines for how such private lands could be utilized, converted, or acquired for
conservation purposes (1999).
 Protect, manage, and enhance existing scrub-jay populations on public land (FWS,
1999). This requires the creation and implementation of long-term management
plans by each individual public land manager, and coordination between all involved
parties to achieve overall conservation goals (1999).
 Protect, manage, and enhance existing scrub-jay population on private lands (FWS,
1999). To do this will require working with private land owners to preserve and
enhance scrub-jay habitat on their properties, and may require rewards or incentives
to achieve desired results (1999). .
 Enforce current regulations and guidelines that are in place to protect scrub-jays
(FWS, 1999). This will require all local, state, and federal agencies to consult the
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service prior to engaging in any activities -- such as road
construction, the use of pesticides, and clearing land for new structures and buildings
-- that may impact scrub-jay populations (1999).
 Gain a better understanding of the biological and population needs of the scrub-jay
(FWS, 1999). Doing additional research into this area may assist in translocation

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efforts (reintroducing birds into suitable scrub habitat that is currently uninhabited),
establishing viable populations in suburban environments, and identifying which
scrub-jay populations are the least and most vulnerable (1999).
Habitat Level Recovery Actions
 Prevent the further degradation of existing scrub habitat by acquiring lands
previously identified in the reserve design; protecting habitat on private lands;
continuing and supporting Federal and State land acquisitions; and encouraging non-
governmental organizations, such as land trusts, to make additional acquisitions of
land where scrub habitat is found (FWS, 1999).
 Prevent further loss or fragmentation of habitat on scrub-jay reserves (FWS, 1999).
 Restore overgrown scrub habitat (FWS, 1999).
 Maintain suitable habitat through the use of prescribed burnings (FWS, 1999).
 Determine whether or not mechanical treatments for scrub management, such as the
use of roller-chopping or thinning of brush and trees, are effective alternatives to
prescribed burning.
Analysis & Recommendations
The Multi-Species Recover Plan offers numerous management actions that can be
taken to facilitate the stabilization and eventual growth of the remaining Florida Scrub-jay
population. The central concept of the plan, which provides the foundation to many of the
management actions it recommends, is the creation of a reserve system that would provide
scrub-jays with large, connected areas of land that would facilitate optimal dispersal of
scrub-jays (FWS, 1999).

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The plan does not go into the specifics concerning the benefits continuous habitat
has for maintaining health populations of scrub-jays. Coulon, Fitzpatrick, Bowman, &
Lovette (2010) conducted research into the dispersal habits of Florida scrub-jays and found
that most individuals disperse only a short distance from their natal territories, often
establishing their own territories in areas immediately adjacent to where they were born.
This behavior stems from the scrub-jay's dependence on its natal territory as a familiar
place of refuge while it seeks out its own breeding territory, a process that may take up to
several years (2010). When habitat fragmentation occurs, and territories are broken up by
areas of urbanization or other obstacles (either man-made or natural), a scrub-jay seeking
to establish its own territory often finds it necessary to travel many miles from their native
territories (2010). While Coulon et al. (2010) did not observe habitat fragmentation as
significantly impacting a scrub-jay's ability to return home while searching greater distances
for its own territory, they did note that long-distance dispersers of the species had
significantly lower long-term survival rates compared to those birds that remained within
the immediate vicinity of their natal territories.
It is suspected that this decreased survival rate is related to lack of knowledge of the
distant territories these far-dispersing scrub-jays may be inhabiting; natal territories are
well known, and therefore the scrub-jays are knowledgeable on how to watch for and avoid
predators, where the most productive foraging grounds are to be found, and what areas
provide the best cover (Coulon et al., 2010). In distant territories located well away from
their place of birth, scrub-jays would not possess such intimate knowledge of their
surroundings and would therefore be more vulnerable (2010).
As the Multi-Species Recover Plan seeks to create optimal habitat and territorial
conditions for Florida scrub-jays, it would be beneficial to conduct additional research into
the dispersal habits of the species; this would allow for the creation of a better reserve

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system that is designed in a way that takes behavioral characteristics into consideration, as
opposed to simply areas that have optimal habitat conditions.
Florida scrub-jays, as extreme habitat specialists, depend upon the condition of their
habitat to achieve long term survival. While protecting existing scrub habitat through the
acquisition of lands is extremely important, it is also necessary to ensure that scrub forests
under current protection (such as those found on federal and state lands) are managed in a
way that achieves optimal habitat conditions. The Multi-Species Recovery Plan touches on
this issue briefly by suggesting currently protected lands undergo prescribed burning as a
means to control overgrowth in scrub forests, and that additional mechanical techniques
that simulate the effects of burning be investigated (FWS, 1999). Both of these actions have
been well researched, with prescribed burning having been identified as the most effective
at maintaining scrub-jay habitat by Weekley, Menges, Berry-Greenlee, Rickey, Clarke, &
Smith (2011). Weekley et al. (2011) also found that prescribed burning was the only
method that resulted in long-term benefits to the scrub forest, including notable increases in
the abundance of various rare species of vegetation which assist with the other health of the
forest ecosystems.
Additionally, Weekley et al. (2011) determined that mechanical techniques to
simulate the effects of natural fires did not produce the same benefits as actual burning. In
some cases, such as utilizing logging as a means to reduce the presence of pines in oak
scrub forests, the mechanical techniques actually increased the presence of exotic species of
vegetation and disrupted soil in a negative manner (Weekley, Menges, Craddock, & Yahr,
2013). As such, it is recommend by Weekley et al. (2011, 2013) that mechanical
management of scrub forests should not be relied upon for long-term habitat recovery, and
instead should only be used when necessary to prepare sites for prescribed burning (2011).
The Multi-Species Recovery Plan for Florida scrub-jays may benefit greatly by being updated
with this current research.

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Finally, there are additional biological stressors on Florida scrub-jays that, while
detailed in the early sections of the plan, were not addressed under the recommended
management actions. One fairly important example is the impact of disease on scrub-jay
populations. Under optimal habitat conditions, Florida scrub-jays have relatively low
instances of mortality due to disease (FWS, 2007); however, a considerable number of
scrub-jays currently reside in small groups that are located in isolated areas that have, in
some instances, suboptimal habitat (FWS, 2009). These conditions makes the threat of
epidemics -- which have been observed on three separate occasions in the population of
scrub-jays found at the Archbold Biological State (Woolfenden & Fitzpatrick (as cited in FWS,
2007). These epidemics resulted in the loss of nearly all hatchlings jays, as well as roughly
half the adults of breeding age (2007). Though the occurrence of such disease epidemics is
low -- the three observed at Archbold occurred over a 26 year period -- the relatively small
size of the remaining scrub-jay population, combined with their inability to properly disperse
across large areas of habitat, raises the possibility that a catastrophic disease episode may
occur (2007). It would therefore be suggested that the Multi-Species Recovery Plan include
additional research into the diseases affecting scrub-jays.
Learning Points & Conclusion
The Florida scrub-jay is an amazing species. Found only in the state of Florida, it
once ranged over considerable territories all across the peninsula. Unfortunately, it has
primarily been due to human actions that has caused this species to decline to the point
where extinction is a looming possibility. The destruction of scrub forests due to urbanization
has made it particularly challenging in devising way to save this species, as much of what
has been lost cannot be reclaimed. What is possible is the protection of remaining scrub
habitat, and the restoration/reclamation of land where scrub forests still exist. But restoring
habitat is not enough on its own; it is also important that we understand the biological and

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behavioral requirements on scrub-jays so that the actions we take prove to be beneficial to
the species.
The Multi-Species Recovery Plan seeks to do just that. Overall, it is a comprehensive
document detailing many of the threats and challenges to Florida scrub-jays and suggesting
actions that can be taken to ensure the long term survival of the species. Because it is a
living document, the recovery plan is able to be adapted and altered as a greater knowledge
base is built. This is particularly beneficial, as our understanding of scrub-jays and their
requirements are changing every day. If the recommendations of this plan are followed and
updated as necessary, it is entirely possible to save the Florida scrub-jay from extinction.
Literature Cited
Alden, P., Cech, R., & Nelson, G. (1998). National Audubon society field guide to Florida.
New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2014). Saving the Florida scrub-jay. Retrieved from
http://birds.cornell.edu/page.aspx?pid=1691
Coulon, A., Fitzpatrick, J.W., Bowman, R., & Lovette, I.J. (2010). Effects of habitat
fragmentation on effective dispersal of Florida scrub-jays. Conservation Biology, 24,
1080-1088. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01438.x
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. (2014). Scrub. Retrieved from
http://myfwc.com/conservation/special-initiatives/fwli/archive/taking-action/scrub
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. (2009). Scrub management guidelines
for peninsular Florida: Using the scrub-jay as an umbrella species. Retrieved from
http://fwcg.myfwc.com/docs/Scrub_Management_Guidelines_July2009.pdf
Fitzpatrick, J.W., Woolfender, G.E., & Bowman, R. (1999).

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Franzred, K.E., & Zarnoch, S.J. (2011). Factors affecting Florida scrub-jay nest survival on
Ocala National Forest, Florida. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 75, 1040-1050.
doi:10.1002/jwmg.139
NatureServe. (2013). Aphelocoma coerulescens: Florida Scrub-jay. Retrieved from
http://explorer.natureserve.org
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2013). Aphelocoma coerulescens. Retrieved from
http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/species-accounts/Fla-Scrub-Jay-2005.htm
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2007). Florida scrub-jay: 5-year review. Retrieved from
http://www.fws.gov/northflorida/Scrub-Jays/2007-Review/2007-Florida-scrub-jay_5-
Year_review.pdf
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (1999). Florida scrub-jay. Retrieved from
http://www.fws.gov/southeast/vbpdfs/species/birds/fsja.pdf
Weekley, C. W., Menges, E. S., Berry-Greenlee, D., Rickey, M. A., Clarke, G. L., & Smith, S.
A. (2011). Burning more effective than mowing in restoring Florida scrub. Ecological
Restoration, 29, 357-373.
Weekley, C.W., Menges, E.S., Craddock, A.L., & Yahr, R. (2013). Logging as a pretreatment
or surrogate for fire restoration in Florida scrub. Castanea, 78, 15-27.
doi:10.2179/12-030