The Beautiful Blue Bird You'll Only Find In Florida (& How To Attract It)

The warm weather and picturesque attractions in Florida make it a popular vacation spot for people of all ages. But did you know there is a special type of bird that makes the Sunshine State unique? An eye-catching blue species of fowl that can only be found in Florida: meet the Florida Scrub-Jay.

The Florida Scrub-Jay is a medium-sized songbird with a long tail that spends most of its time perching. Like its name suggests, these birds live in the scrublands of Florida. They used to be classified under the overall scrub jay category of birds but are now considered their own species due to their exclusive home in Florida. A striking blue hue covers the tail, beak, and legs, and the rest of the bird is white and gray throughout. The Florida Scrub Jay is the only bird endemic to Florida as it requires a sandy environment, and the species is endangered because of increasing habitat loss. You're most likely to find this species in wooded areas throughout Florida, but it's not impossible to find one visiting a Floridian resident's backyard. Attracting birds to your yard can affect the value of your home, and the sight of a Florida Scrub Jay in the yard creates a one-of-a-kind experience that can't be found anywhere else in the world. 

Residents of Florida are the only ones that have any likelihood of seeing the rare Florida Scrub Jay. But if you're in Florida and looking to welcome this stunning bird into your yard, it'll take more than a simple birdhouse to attract it. The official Florida State Parks website recommends "planting and protecting scrub patches on your property. Maintain a maximum height of 10 feet for vegetation if you live on or near a scrub-jay habitat."

Make sure you accommodate the Florida Scrub Jay's two favorite things: perching and eating. Create the perfect perch with fallen branches, and add a bird feeder nearby. The perch and feeder should be around three to four feet off of the ground, as that is where the Florida Scrub Jay is used to nesting when in the low hanging greenery of the scrublands. If you have access to different kinds of tree branches, these birds favor oaks, sand live oak specifically. The addition of grass, moss, plant fibers, and twigs could help as well. If you find a Florida Scrub Jay singing in your yard, it will likely stay there for a while as they don't travel long distances. They often stay in their scrubs for an extended amount of time and are unlikely to leave a perch once they find a favorable one.

The most likely thing to attract the Florida Scrub Jay may surprise you as it is typically associated with squirrels rather than birds: acorns! Keep acorns on hand as they make up most of the Florida Scrub Jay's diet. Collect the loose acorns that have fallen in your yard and gather them together for a Florida Scrub Jay feast. The acorns will remind the birds of oak trees and branches from their natural habitat.

Florida Scrub Jays will find acorns and store them away in different places for future consumption. They typically collect acorns in the fall and store them safely for winter — a practice known as caching. Florida Scrub Jays are intelligent, hard workers as it is estimated that they can cache roughly 8,000 acorns yearly. The birds are omnivores, so they also eat insects and small reptiles, as well as berries and seeds. However, be mindful of pesticide use that could limit the birds' insect diet and of outdoor cats, which are their arch-enemies.