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 a long history in North America, with mitochondrial DNA research suggesting the birds evolved into a distinct species about 2.5 million years ago. Fossil evidence dates the birds’ presence in the upper Midwest at 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, around the end of the last glacial period. The stories of many Native American cultures recognize bluebirds as symbols of spring and bearers of hope, friendship, and happiness. Minnesota Ojibwe called (and still call) the bluebird ozhaawashko-bineshiinh (blue bird). The corresponding word in the Dakota language is ziŋtkatȟo.

Eastern bluebirds are secondary cavity nesters, meaning they build their nests in previously hollowed-out spaces. Although they require a sheltered nook for nesting, bluebirds can’t drill cavities with their beaks. In nature, they nest in other birds’ abandoned roosts, hollow rock niches, wooden fencepost notches, and dead or dying trees.

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As American settlement expanded during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, those natural nesting options dwindled. Logging removed woodlands, and metal fenceposts replaced wooden ones. Pesticides and insecticides killed the birds and the insects they fed on. Most devastating was the incursion of two European cavity nesters: the house sparrow (English sparrow) and the common starling (European starling). These non-native species invaded bluebird nests, killing off adult birds and their fledglings. 

By the 1960s, the nation’s Eastern bluebirds faced extinction, and a decade later the birds were on the National Audubon Society’s list of “vanishing species.” Bird lovers throughout the United States searched for ways to reestablish the bluebird population, recognizing that recovery would require human intervention.

Minnesotans Dick and Vi Peterson joined the search, focusing their efforts on finding a substitute for nesting cavities. They lined “bluebird trails” with nearly 500 nest boxes, checking weekly during nesting season to identify elements that would keep the chicks warm, dry and safe from pests. 

Every component of the Peterson nest box focused on protecting the birds. A wide roof provided shade on a hot summer day and shelter from wind, rain and snow in inclement weather. The steep slant of the roof prevented raccoons and house cats from snatching the babies inside. The wedge shape of the box made it easier for fledglings to leave the nest when they were ready. An entry hole, measured to the sixteenth of an inch, was sized to keep starlings out.

The Petersons shared their nest-box pattern with individuals and conservation groups at no charge and led workshops teaching the construction process. Children built the boxes in 4H clubs, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Camp Fire Girls. Junior and senior high school students constructed Peterson boxes in shop class or as Future Farmers of America. Civic groups established bluebird trails in parks and on golf courses, at cemeteries, and along country roads. Volunteers took notes, recording when a nest was built, what kind of bird built it, when eggs were laid and how many chicks hatched.

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The Peterson nest box worked. Although a 1979 spot check of Minnesota bluebirds revealed just eleven pairs, a bird census three years later showed a count of 1,490 fledglings. In 1992, 14,800 fledglings were counted in Minnesota, more than any other state in the nation. Nationally, researchers reported that Eastern bluebirds showed a preference for Peterson boxes when they were given a choice of nesting sites.

Dick Peterson, described as a “tinkerer,” built and tested more than 5,000 nest boxes between 1978 and 1998. A retired Northwest airline pilot, David Ahlgren, simplified Peterson’s design and developed a method for constructing an entire nest box from just one board. He then spent twenty-five years cutting out more than 85,000 nest boxes and selling them to birders around the world or donating them to schools and non-profit groups.

Over time, the efforts of countless volunteers stabilized Minnesota’s bluebird population, with bird census reports averaging just over ten thousand fledglings a year. In 2025, the Bluebird Recovery Program of Minnesota dropped “recovery” from its name, noting that the bluebird population has recovered.

Bibliography

Adams, Jim. “A Full-Fledged Success.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 5, 1993.

Berner, Kevin L. “The Peterson Box.” NYS Bluebird Society, 1994.

“Bluebirds Are Back From the Brink Thanks to Human Interventions.” The Buzz blog (Forest Preserve District of Will County), May 2, 2023.

“Citizen-Led Bluebird Recovery.” Philanthropy Roundtable.

“DNR Says Bluebird Restoration Has Hit Record Production in Minnesota.” Wadena Pioneer Journal, March 22, 1990.

Ferraro, Nick. “Obituary David Ahlgren/Pilot’s Bluebird Houses Dot Minnesota.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, November 14, 2015.

Fiedler, Dave. “Let’s Bring Back the Bluebird.” Minneapolis Tribune, March 7, 1965.

Grolla, Charles. Binesi-Dibaajimowinan: Ojibwe Bird Stories. LLTC Design and Print Shop, 2019.

Grooms, Steve, and Dick Peterson. Bluebirds! NorthWord Press, 1991.

Her, Lucy Y. “Bird Savior Dick Peterson Dies: He Developed Wooden Box That Bluebirds Could Call Home.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 10, 2000.

Hollis, Harold. “Bluebird Trail: Bird Club Attempts to Bring Species Back.” Duluth News-Tribune, April 17, 1955.

Janetatos, Mary D. “A History of the North American Bluebird Society.” North American Bluebird Society, 1996. 

Juenger, Judy. “Youth Honored for Work with Bluebirds.” Albert Lea Tribune, Sept. 16, 1990.

Kern, Ben. “Bluebirds Need Homes, and He Builds ‘Em—By the Hundreds.” Minneapolis Tribune, April 4, 1982.

Koevenig, Maude M. “Nature’s World: Blue Bird Houses Get Tenants in This Area.” Albert Lea Tribune, January 18, 1953.

Schara, Ron. “Return of the Bluebirds: Local Craftsman’s House Helped in Their Recovery.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 24, 1991.

Scriven, Dorene. Bluebird Trails: A Guide to Success. Third edition. Bluebird Recovery Program of the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis, National Audubon Society, 1999.

Wessel, Ann. “Volunteer’s Dedication Helps Bring Back the Bluebird.” St. Cloud Times, June 21, 2014.

Williams, Jim. “DNA Evidence Helps Trace the History of a Bird Species.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 18, 2022.

Zeleny, Lawrence. The Bluebird: How You Can Help Its Fight for Survival. Indiana University Press, 1976.

Related Resources

Primary

“4H Clubs Seek Bluebird Help.” Winona Daily News, March 12, 1964. 

Bernstein, Peter. “Plan Would Protect Endangered Birds.” Minneapolis Star, April 6, 1972.

“Bluebird Trail.” Duluth News-Tribune. April 13, 1952.

Clayton, Chris. “Singing the Blues.” Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, September–October 2024.

“The English Sparrow.” Minneapolis Tribune, February 9, 1877.

“A New Enemy for the Grasshoppers.” The Anti-Monopolist, February 22, 1877.

“Starling, Bird Pest, Plagues City, Revealed.” Rochester Post-Bulletin, September 1, 1932.

Hellman, Joan Rattner. “How You Can Hear the Bluebird’s Song Again.” Parade, November 25, 1979.

Hollis, Harold. “Bluebird Trail: Bird Club Attempts to Bring Species Back.” Duluth News-Tribune, April 17, 1955.

Koevenig, Maude M. “Bluebirds Appreciate Help with Nesting.” Albert Lea Tribune, April 4, 1965. 

Levy, Paul. “Somewhere There’s a Bluebird…and Twin Citians Want It to Be Here.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 27, 1988. 

Secondary

Nichols, Sara. “How Did the Starling Get to America?” Birdful, February 1, 2023. 

Smith, Elizabeth Zimmerman, comp. “House Sparrow History.” Sialis.

Web

Bluebird Program of Minnesota.

Comfort, Tom. “The Xbox for Bluebirds.” Nestbox Builder.

“Eastern Bluebird.” American Bird Conservancy.

“Eastern Bluebird.” Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas. Eastern Bluebird.

Nestbox Builder. Plans for Nestboxes and Feeders.

“Rebuilding Nature’s Legacy: Restoring a Species.” Three Rivers Park District GIS, October 24, 2023. 

Satchwell, Larry. “Peterson Style Bluebird Nesting Box.” YouTube video, 10:18. Posted by Larry Satchwell, February 2, 2020. 

“Tribute to Bluebird Pioneers: Dick Peterson & Oliver Charley.” YouTube video, 7:23. Posted by Mike the bird man from Mn, August 9, 2024. 

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