Re-introduction of brown-headed nuthatch & eastern bluebird to South Florida pine rocklands, USA

Summary

The brown-headed nuthatch and eastern bluebird, both common and widespread elsewhere but extirpated from Everglades National Park's pine rocklands after logging and fire suppression, were reintroduced by the Ecostudies Institute and Everglades National Park between 1998 and 2001 following abundant post-Hurricane Andrew snags that made the habitat feasible again. Researchers captured 53 nuthatches, mostly whole cooperative groups, from Big Cypress National Preserve roughly 40 km away, holding them briefly in small aviaries before release; 42 were released in good condition and 25 (60%) established territories. Forty-seven adult bluebirds, including 17 pairs and 6 pairs with dependent young, were translocated from Big Cypress and Naples golf courses, with 31 of 47 (66%) establishing territories, though 5 of 18 translocated juveniles were killed by snakes or crows inside aviaries. Both species bred successfully and grew annually during the translocation years, reaching 87 nuthatches by 2005 and 46 bluebirds by 2002, but nuthatches later declined to 52 after two 2005 hurricanes reduced winter food before recovering, while long-term bluebird growth rate settled at 0.92, below the 1.0 threshold for success, amid rising nest predation and roadside vehicle mortality. The project rates the nuthatch reintroduction Successful, citing population resilience and self-excavation ability, but rates the eastern bluebird component Partially Successful, since population growth stalled after translocations ceased and researchers could not identify or fund a fix for the limiting factors.