The Blue Bird of Happiness…Florida Scrub-Jay!

The Blue Bird of Happiness…Florida Scrub-Jay!

No, that is not a Florida Scrub-Jay…that pic is a Blue Macaw Parrot! 😉

If you have followed my blog, you will note that I have posted about endangered and protected species in Florida.  

The links are below:

Little Burrowing Owls 

Gentle Giants…Manatees…Sea Cows…

Eagle Cam and Ozzie and Harriet

They Are Certainly Faithful!

Last week, the Captain and I were at a remote part of Cape Coral to see the the Florida Scrub-Jays with our friends from the Midwest….

And yesterday,  I went back to show another friend, My Chocolate Cake Buddy… these beautiful, friendly birds!

Being friendly, is not a good thing as many people lure the birds with food and this interrupts their breeding cycles.

The parents are overfed and the poor little chicks are born early…before any of the seeds, berries and caterpillars are abundant.

Consequently, many chicks die of starvation or are malnourished.

The Florida Scrub Jay habitat has been reduced dramatically, causing them to be declared a threatened species in 1987. 

I love all birds…as you who know me will attest.

I particularly love blue birds….perhaps it is the Blue Bird of Happiness that draws me to these beautifully colored blue birds.

While living in the mountains of New Mexico, we had many birds come to our feeders situated very close to my dining room table…including Western Scrub Jays, Mountain Blue Birds, Steller’s Jays, Pinion Jays just to name a few of the “blue” birds.

But, did you know that blue birds are not really blue?

According to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “The colors in the feathers of a bird are formed in two different ways, from either pigments or from light refraction caused by the structure of the feather.  Tiny air pockets in the barbs of feathers can scatter incoming light, resulting in a specific, non-iridescent color. Blue colors in feathers are almost always produced in this manner. Examples include the blue feathers of bluebirds, Indigo Buntings, Blue Jay’s and Steller’s Jays.  If you find the feather of a Blue Jay or Steller’s Jay you can see for yourself how this works. First, observe the feather in normal lighting conditions and you will see the expected blue color. Next, try back-lighting the feather. When light is transmitted through the feather it will look brown. The blues are lost because the light is no longer being reflected back and the brown shows up because of the melanin in the feathers.”

Just thought you would like to know. 🙂

Have a great day and enjoy our wonderful birds, no matter where you live!

 

 

Me