Evaluation of translocation for the threatened Florida scrub-jay

We evaluated translocation as a technique for restoring the Florida scrub-j ay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) to unoccupied portions of its historic range. Prior to the breeding seasons of 1989, 1990, and 1995, we translocated 20 j ays (14 nonbreeders, 3 breeding pairs) from Archbold Biological Station in Highlands County to suitable but unoccupied habitat at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Collier County. Nine of the 20 jays disappea red within the first 8 weeks following translocation; 11 jays settled at Ro okery Bay. Successful nesting first occurred at Rookery Bay in 1989, and fr om 1991 through 1997 the population remained relatively stable with 6-10 in dividuals and 1-3 breeding pairs. Nesting success, juvenile survival, and a dult survival of jays in the reintroduced population were all comparable to those of jays at Archbold Biological Station. The sex ratio of the reintro duced population was biased toward males, apparently because of high rates of mortality or emigration by females fledged at Rookery Bay Overall, our r esults suggest translocation is a useful management technique for die Flori da scrub-jay. However, because of the scarcity of properly managed transloc ation sites, the initially high rates at which jays emigrate or die followi ng translocation, and the potential effect of translocation on source popul ations, translocation should not be viewed as an acceptable substitute for the management of existing populations of this threatened species.