How the Peterson nest box saved the Eastern bluebird

How the Peterson nest box saved the Eastern bluebird

The Eastern bluebird, indigenous to North and Central America, is said to have once been as common as the American robin. A population decline starting in the early 20th century reduced the number of Eastern bluebirds by an estimated 90 percent, inspiring a grassroots movement to save them. Key to the movement’s success was the Peterson bluebird nest box, designed by Dick and Vi Peterson of Brooklyn Center. Eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) have…