Friends of Oscar Scherer Park
The Oscar Scherer State Park Florida Scrub-jay Adoption Program is your opportunity to directly support our efforts to protect and preserve the threatened Florida Scrub-jay population for current and future generations.
100% of your tax deductible contribution will provide funds for ongoing education, advocacy, protection and maintenance of the Scrub-jay’s threatened habitat and will help us gain a greater understanding of this unique species.
Each Scrub-jay is uniquely identified with colored bands making it possible to monitor and record their daily life.
Your participation will make you a personal member of the Scrub-jay protection team.
How to Adopt Your Scrub-jay
Select your personal Scrub-jay from the images below
SQEZ – unknown gender
SQEZ23_HS-AF Hatched and banded in 2023, one sibling.
SAND – unknown gender
SAND23_BS-HF Hatched and banded in 2023, no known siblings.
ROGUE – unknown gender
ROGUE24_PS-LF Hatched in 2024, banded 9/11/2024, three siblings.
LGCY – unknown gender
LGCY24_HS-PF Hatched in 2024 to PS-PF and Droop-wing, banded 11/6/2024, two siblings.
LGCY – female
LGCY-F -Droop-wing This beauty was hatched in 2019 in the TWOA family. Because of her distinctive drooping right wing, she will never be banded. In spite of her deformed wing, she is healthy and flies just fine. She has a mate and had three fledglings in 2024.
CNTY – male
CNTY-M_LS-AF his male hatched in 2020 in the CAMP family. He joined a solitary female in the CNTY family in early 2023. Since then, he and his mate have successfully fledged three birds in 2023 and three more in 2024.
Chose your Adoption Level
You will receive a personalized Scrub-jay Adoption Package:
Ambassador
- A symbolic adoption certificate
- A photograph of your sponsored Florida Scrub-jay
- One-day entry to Oscar Scherer State Park
- Guided tour of scrub jay habitat with park ranger
Champion
- A symbolic adoption certificate
- A photograph of your sponsored Florida Scrub-jay
- One-day entry to Oscar Scherer State Park
Advocate
- A symbolic adoption certificate
- A photograph of your sponsored Florida Scrub-jay
Thank you for your generous support of the endangered Florida Scrub-jay!
Florida Scrub-jay
The Florida Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is the only bird species unique to Florida and they do not migrate. Scrub-jays mate for life, and raise their young in cooperative family groups consisting of a breeding pair and their offspring.
Offspring act as helpers and assist in defending the family’s territory, nest and young. However, only the breeding pair participates in nest-building, incubating and brooding activities, which take place from late February through the end of June.
The adult Florida Scrub-jay is about 10-12 inches long with blue and gray colored feathers. The head, nape, wings and tail are blue, while the back and belly are gray. Males and females are similar in appearance: however juveniles can be distinguished from adults by their dusky brown head and neck.
Florida Scrub-jays primarily eat insects and acorns, but also consume plants and small animals such as frogs, toads, lizards, snakes and even mice. Each Florida Scrub-jay can harvest and bury an astounding 6,000 to 8,000 acorns from August to November as a food source throughout the year. Feeding Florida Scrub-jays is a federal offense and can affect their natural diet while disrupting their breeding cycle.
Scrub-jay Habitat
Florida Scrub-jays are entirely dependent on oak scrub communities; low-growing oak shrubs punctuated by scattered sandy clearings and few trees. Scrub-jay families utilize a territory of natural habitat ranging from 5 to 50 acres depending on the size of a family group and condition of habitat; the average is about 25 acres.
Management of the scrubby flatwoods is critical to the survival of Scrub-jays and other animals and plants in the park, this management includes prescribed burns to maintain the low oaks and sandy patches for Scrub-jays and other species.
Scrub-jay populations are thought to have declined by as much as 90% over the past century, and preservation of existing populations is of paramount importance. Our effort, with your support, is critical to the conservation of Scrub-jays and their survival on the west coast of Florida.