In Charlotte County, scrub-jays live in scrub, scrubby flatwoods and even suburban areas that are adjacent to scrub. The three dominant tree species in Charlotte County scrub include sand live oak, Chapman oak, and myrtle oak. Scrub-jays are nonmigratory birds that defend permanent territories averaging 23 acres in size, depending on the quality of the vegetation community and the size of the family group. Territories increase in size as the family group grows and when the habitat is not optimal . The Florida scrub-jay is an omnivore, commonly eating insects, tree frogs, reptiles, berries, seeds, and acorns.
Insects compose the majority of the scrub-jay s diet in the spring and summer.
In the winter, when insects are scarce, acorns from several species of oaks comprise the majority of their diet. Each scrub-jay harvests and buries 6000 to 8000 acorns during August to November for use throughout the year. Scrub-jays forage on the ground, rarely pursuing insects in the air. Each group is made up of a breeding male and female and usually several helpers. These helper birds are offspring of the breeding pair from previous years.