Predation caused 78% of nest failures in coastal forests of southeast Alaska and interior forests of adjacent Canada. Nest success tended to be better in coastal than interior forests. Mayfield daily nest survival from predation on open-cup nests was higher in egg than nestling phase for most species. Species building large (thrush-sized) nests had lower Mayfield daily survival from predation than species building smaller (warbler-sized) nests, but there was no difference in daily survival (total and from predation only) among species nesting in different vegetation strata. Nesting success differed little with nest cover or nest site diversity for most species. Total nest success within species was only sometimes higher in commonly used nest sites than in less frequently used sites. Nest survival from predation did not generally decrease with increasing nest density within guilds of species with similar nests or with nest-site similarity. We emphasize the likelihood of varied outcomes of natural selection on nest-site selection in differing circumstances.