A birdhouse provides safe shelter and a protected nesting site for wild birds, but which house is best for which birds? Choosing a birdhouse with the birds’ needs in mind can help you select the perfect housing option for your favorite feathered families.
Not all birds are cavity-nesting and not all birds will use birdhouses. Backyard favorites such as cardinals, robins, goldfinches, and hummingbirds won’t nest in birdhouses, but other amazing species feel most comfortable in a cozy nesting hole. Top species that will happily use birdhouses include:
To choose the best birdhouse, it is important to know which birds are already regular guests in your yard. If the birds are already comfortable in the yard visiting feeders or baths, they will be more likely to investigate and perhaps move in to a birdhouse.
It doesn’t matter which bird you hope to attract to a birdhouse, all the best houses share similar features that make them safe and attractive to nesting birds. The best birdhouse designs will have…
The better a birdhouse is designed, the more attractive it will be to birds looking for a safe, secure nesting site. Some birdhouses come with all the appropriate features, while others are easy to alter to add extra ventilation, drainage, or remove a perch to make them more appealing to birds.
When you do choose a birdhouse, it can be exciting to see a feathered family move in. Ensuring a good food supply with both natural foods – berries, nuts, grasses, fruit, insects, etc. – and supplemental feeders will attract birds, and there should also be fresh, clean water nearby. Positioning a birdhouse in a quiet area will be more attractive to birds so they aren’t spooked at delicate nesting times, and the house should be protected by baffles or other safeguards to keep predators away. Providing nesting materials such as natural cotton, grass clippings, small twigs, and bits of leaves will also help encourage birds to set up housekeeping.
Above all, be patient when putting up birdhouses and hoping to see birds move in. Birds can be picky with their real estate, but if a good birdhouse is put out early in the season just when birds are looking for nesting sites, it is sure to attract the attention of prospective families.
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