Use of Nest Boxes by Eastern Bluebirds in Rural South-Central Florida

Mohamed Khalil Meliane^1,*, Zachery B. Holmes^1,2, Bethany Wight^1,†, and E. Hance Ellington^1,2

¹Range Cattle Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3401 Experiment Station Road, Ona, FL 33865.²Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611. ^†Deceased. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 24, Issue 4 (2025): 394–402

First published early online: 26 December 2025

Abstract
Nest boxes are widely used for Sialia sialis (Eastern Bluebird), yet the influence of box design on occupancy and reproductive success remains contested. We monitored 60 nest boxes in rural south-central Florida to compare 3 common designs constructed from wood and plastic. Bluebirds showed a strong preference for wooden boxes, in contrast to previous findings from urban sites. This discrepancy may reflect differences in prior experience, with urban populations more accustomed to nesting in plastic tubes on buildings, whereas rural populations more often use natural tree cavities and wooden fence posts. Only 2 of 20 plastic boxes were occupied, limiting our ability to evaluate their effects on reproductive performance. Nevertheless, our results align with prior studies indicating that common nest-box materials do not significantly affect reproductive success.

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