Nest site management is an important intervention in conservation of endangered birds. Birds may nest in areas that conflict with human activities or anthropogenically modified habitats that serve as ecological traps. Birds may also fail to nest in habitat that has been restored. Many species’ settlement is influenced by the presence of conspecifics. Manipulation of conspecific cues may provide a strategy to encourage birds to settle in suitable habitat away from areas impacted by human activity. We investigated how social attraction influences nest site selection in California least terns (CLTE) at two colonies in Southern California from 2011-2025. Specifically, we tested decoys to assess how five social cues including: number, spacing, movement, apparent breeding status, and acoustic playback of tern vocalizations influenced nest site selection. Our findings indicate that all configurations of decoys and acoustic playback had no effect on CLTE settlement. Although conspecific cues have been shown to be successful at influencing establishment of new nesting colonies, our experimental context differs in that decoys were placed near existing nesting areas (<500m). Our negative findings add understanding as to when and how this management tool will be effective, allowing managers to explore other context-dependent strategies that will be more effective.