Conservation Status
The Island Scrub Jay is classed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because its very small range makes it potentially vulnerable to a catastrophic incident. There are no other known threats, and the apparently stable population of at least 9,000 individuals makes this bird common on Santa Cruz. Active conservation is limited to controlling the numbers of introduced sheep and pigs, which have caused habitat degradation in the past.
The Chumash people who were the original inhabitants of the northern Channel Islands may have eaten the local scrub jay, or used its feathers for decoration, since they are known to have made feather bands including jay feathers on the Californian mainland. Human activities may have contributed to the presumed extinction of the Island Scrub Jay from the smaller islands.
Read more about this topic: Island Scrub Jay
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