Species Described in 1795 - Animals Described in 1795, Plants Described in 1795, Florida Scrub Jay, Rock Beauty, Manilkara Hexandra (Paperback)

Chapters: Animals Described in 1795, Plants Described in 1795, Florida Scrub Jay, Rock Beauty, Manilkara Hexandra. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 18. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is one of the species of scrub-jay native to North America. It is the only species of bird endemic to the U.S. state of Florida. Because of this, it is heavily sought by birders who travel from across the country to observe this unique species. It is known to have been present in Florida as a recognizably distinct species since at least 2 mya (Emslie, 1996 ); possibly it is derived from the ancestors of Woodhouse's Scrub Jay, the inland forms of the Western Scrub-jay (Rice et al. 2003 ). It is 28 cm (11 in) long, and weighs 7585 g (2.63.0 oz). It has a strong black bill, blue head and nape without a crest, a whitish forehead and supercilium, blue bib, blue wings, grayish underparts, gray back, long blue tail, black legs and feet. An inquisitive and intelligent species, the most striking attribute of the Florida Scrub-Jay's behavior is its remarkable tameness. As such, Scrub-Jays willingly take food from human hands. Unfortunately, this tameness is dangerous to the well-being of the species. Florida Scrub-Jays fed by humans will reproduce earlier in the year than those that do not. However, fledgling Scrub-Jays feed primarily on caterpillars present in the late spring and summer; if they hatch too early in the year when the caterpillars are not available, this can lead to their malnutrition or starvation. Another potential danger of feeding Florida Scrub-Jays occurs when people feed them near a road, as one major cause of death in urban areas is collision with vehicles. Despite these dangers, it is still legal under U.S. and Florida law to feed Scrub-J...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=1895209