A pair of Florida scrub jays survey their territory on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. NASA's Kennedy Space Center is located on the refuge, which provides a habitat for 330 species of birds. As the name implies, the Florida scrub jay thrives in a scrub, which is an extremely dry habitat. Their ideal environment is a relatively open flatwoods of oak or sand pine scrub with trees less than 10 feet tall, wide apart and providing minimal canopy cover. The Florida scrub jay was officially listed as a threatened state species by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in 1975 and as a threatened federal species by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1987.
NASA/Glenn Benson
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