Ecostudies Institute: Avian Reintroduction

History
In southern Florida, pine rocklands [slash pine (Pinus ellioti var. densa)
forests associated with limestone outcroppings] have been severely
reduced in area due to residential and agricultural development. The
most dramatic losses have occurred along the Atlantic coastal ridge,
where 75,000 ha area of uplands present in 1900 have been reduced in
area by more than 90% (Figure 1). The largest remaining tract lies in
the Long Pine Key region of ENP, of which 85% was logged prior to the
establishment of ENP in 1948.

Five cavity-nesting bird species: Brown-headed Nuthatch, Eastern
Bluebird, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, and
Southeastern American Kestrel, and two pine-forest associates: Wild
Turkey and Summer Tanager disappeared from southeastern Florida.
Besides habitat loss, other contributing factors to these species
extirpations probably include altered fire and hydrological regimes and

In 1997, an experimental reintroduction program was initiated to develop and implement translocation
techniques aimed at restoring viable populations of Brown-headed Nuthatches and Eastern Bluebirds to
ENP. Most birds were translocated as pairs and placed in either small or large aviaries. For some bluebird
translocations we moved the breeding pair and their nestlings. Multiple perch sites, food
(mealworms/crickets) and water, and a nestbox for roosting/nesting were provided in all aviaries.
Nuthatches were held for 1-10 days, while bluebirds were usually held for 1-3 weeks (except for the two
pairs that nested in the aviary!).

effects associated with isolated small populations. Recolonization by extirpated species is unlikely given
the distance between remaining isolated habitat islands and source populations.

Over 4 years, 53 Brown-headed Nuthatches and 47 Eastern Bluebirds were translocated to ENP from
source populations in Big Cypress National Preserve and nearby areas. Approximately 60 percent of
the translocated adults of each species became established on a breeding territory, and in each year
of the study pairs successfully produced young, some of which bred successfully in following years.
In 2001, 13 nuthatch and 16 bluebird breeding territories were established in ENP and translocations
were discontinued.