Brower divided eight Florida scrub jays into two groups of four each.

The result suggests that Florida scrub jays may indeed avoid mimics after they have learned to avoid the sickening model.

Xeric scrub around the local county library, until the late 1990s, hosted a family of threatened Florida scrub jays.

And in certain species of birds - Florida scrub jays, for one - some individuals, known as helpers, do not breed but only help the breeders raise their offspring.

Brower had offered four Florida scrub jays ('control' birds) palatable viceroy butterflies and four other Florida scrub jays ('experimental' birds) sickening monarch butterflies.

By contrast, the Florida scrub jays couldn't have been more co-operative: since the particular group being filmed had been studied closely and were used to humans, a bird could land on Attenborough's hand right on cue.

This may be because of a scarcity of suitable sites, but the great number of individuals present makes it possible for unmated young birds to help their parents in the labour of digging holes just as the young Florida scrub jays help their parents rear new broods.

In one study a comparison was made between pairs of Aphelocoma coerulescens unassisted by helpers and those that were.

Florida Scrub Jay Aphelocoma coerulescens.

The Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is one of the species of scrub jay native to North America.

Studies have also been done on Florida Scrub Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) and results have confirmed the hypothesis that increased prolactin levels are correlated with an increase in parental behavior in helper birds.