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Why Isn't Your Birdhouse Attracting the Birds You Want? A Checklist
If you have a birdhouse but not the birds you want nesting in it, check out the following questions.
References
If you want more information on the specs I provide, see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or Wild Birds Forever.
1. Correct Type?
Does your target bird prefer birdhouses or nesting platforms? Will the bird refuse all man-made structures?
Birdhouses
Birdhouses, depending on their design and location, will attract common cavity nesters like woodpeckers, nuthatches, wrens, titmice, chickadees, and swallows.
Nesting Platforms
Nesting platforms attract common birds such as robins, Song Sparrows, catbirds, Brown Thrashers, and jays.
No Man-Made Structures
Orioles, cardinals, blackbirds, and certain other backyard birds are hard to attract to man-made structures.
2. Entrance Size?
Is the entrance hole the right size and in the right place for the bird you're trying to attract?
Too small an entrance hole, and the bird won't be able to get in. Too large, and your target bird will have more competition for the house.
Some entrance hole sizes:
- Chickadees: 1-1/8"
- Flickers: 2-1/2"
- Nuthatches: 1-1/4" to 1-3/8"
- Downy Woodpeckers: 1-1/4"
- Wrens: 1 to 1-1/2"
Some birds are particular about the position of the entrance hole. While chickadees and Downy Woodpeckers prefer an entrance hole around 7" from the floor, wrens prefer an entrance hole at about 5".
3. Location?
Is the birdhouse or nesting platform in the right location?
Robins like nesting on platforms over door frames and windows, sometimes under eaves. Screech owls and flickers will nest in birdhouses mounted on trees, not houses. Song sparrows and catbirds will nest on platforms in shrubs.
Some birds prefer the birdhouse (or nesting platform) at a certain height off the ground. Some examples:
- Chickadees:4-15'
- Flicker: 6-20'
- Nuthatches: 5-15'
- Downy Woodpecker: 5-15'
- Wrens: 5-10'
- Red-Bellied Woodpecker: 10-20'
4. Good Design?
Is your birdhouse really designed for a bird? For the bird you want to attract?
Size
A birdhouse will preferably have walls at least 3/4" thick, a floor of at least 4" by 4", and a height of a least 5", providing room to grow and distance from predators.
Chickadees, nuthatches, Downy Woodpeckers, and wrens favor birdhouses with a small floor and a box height around 9". Most commercial products are a little bigger, at least a 5" by 5" floor and 10" height.
House Finches, Phoebes, Purple Martins, and Barn Swallows like houses 6"x6"x6" but may handle a taller box well.
You can build birdhouses to more exact specifications than the majority of commercial birdhouse products. However, some commercial products come close.
Other Design Elements
Is your birdhouse made of the right material? Does it have good drainage and ventilation? Is it really designed for birds or for decoration?
For the complete picture of what makes a quality birdhouse, see "What Makes a Good Birdhouse?".
5. The Right Environment?
Do you live in right locale for the wild birds you're trying to attract?
You'll be more successful in attracting birds to nest if you consider your environment. Blue birds like being near golf courses or open, grassy land. Woodpeckers like being near large mature trees.
You can check range and habitat for wild birds online at Cornell's All About Birds field guide or at the What Bird field guide.
House Sparrows
Deterring House Sparrows, a.k.a. English Sparrows, from your birdhouses is not trivial. For a starting point, check out "Managing House Sparrows" at Sialis.
