NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Florida Scrub Jay
Aphelocoma coerulescens (Bosc, 1795)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Florida scrub jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens[A]) 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 and one of only 15 species endemic to the continental United States. Because of this, it is keenly sought by birders. It is known to have been present in Florida as a distinct species for at least 2 million years, and is possibly derived from the ancestors of Woodhouse's scrub jay.
Wikipedia contributors, Florida scrub jay; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:09:14.687688+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aphelocoma coerulescens (Bosc, 1795)
- Name authority
- (Bosc, 1795)
- Common name
- Florida Scrub Jay
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
- Genus
- Aphelocoma
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyCorvidae Leach, 1820
- genusAphelocoma Cabanis, 1851
- speciesAphelocoma coerulescens (Bosc, 1795)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aphelocoma. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Island Scrub JayAphelocoma insularis Henshaw, 1886 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Unicolored JayAphelocoma unicolor (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1847) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mexican JayAphelocoma wollweberi Kaup, 1855 | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Woodhouse's Scrub JayAphelocoma woodhouseii (S. F. Baird, 1858) | CorvidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Aphelocoma coerulescens coerulescens (Bosc, 1795) (Bosc, 1795) | synonym |
| Corvus floridanus Bartram, 1791 Bartram, 1791 | synonym |
| Corvus coerulescens Bosc, 1795 Bosc, 1795 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=179693 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:FCWR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.