15
Mar

Six Tips for Effective Birdhouses

birdhouse
This birdhouse features appropriate materials, sloped roof, easy access for cleaning and a correctly sized, reinforced entry hole.

Providing a healthy home for backyard birds isn’t difficult, but there are some simple tips you should observe in order to make sure your bird’s abode is a safe and attractive place to create a nest.

  1. Pay attention to dimensions. With birdhouses, size does matter. A birdhouse should have the proper dimension; entrance hole size, floor size and entrance height. Different birds require different sizes and using the proper dimensions can help keep unwanted birds out and protect the hatchlings.
  2. Choose appropriate materials. The best birdhouses are made from untreated wood and use galvanized screws, not nails.
  3. Supply ventilation and drainage. Birdhouses should have ventilation and drainage holes to prevent overheating or drowning of baby birds. A sloped roof with a bit of an overhang can also help keep the nest dry. If you have a house without these you can always drill a few holes in the floor for drainage and high up on the sides to provide ventilation.
  4. Provide easy access for cleaning and monitoring. The easiest are birdhouses with one side hinged or that lifts out.
  5. Stay away from any birdhouse with an outside perch. Cavity nesting birds do not need them and outside perches make it easier for predators or unwanted birds to get it.
  6. Keep it neutral. Birds tend to avoid bright, unnatural colors (too obvious to predators) and gravitate to natural, unpainted houses.