A) Nest boxes as flexible ecological teaching tools
Nest boxes are a low-maintenance, interactive teaching tool that can be
used in-person or virtually to engage students in learning about birds
and nature. Though we are trained ornithologists with federal and state
permits, teachers and students do not need any permits to observe birds
who nest in boxes (i.e., permits are only needed when handling or
banding birds). Additionally, there are current citizen science
projects, like the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch program, that
provide instructions for nest box placement, installation, and
monitoring (Nestwatch).
In our program, we used nest boxes to teach about bird breeding and
nestling development; however, they can be used to teach lessons on a
myriad of topics, including species identification, invasive species
management (e.g., house sparrows (Passer domesticus ) and European
starlings (Sturnus vulgaris )), life cycles, habitat selection,
and behavior. Nest boxes can be used as teaching tools anywhere that
cavity nesters live, meaning that lessons could be constructed around
species in many different localities. There are approximately 85 species
of cavity-nesting North American birds (Scott, 1977), providing
different options across the continent.