When to place birdhouses
Make sure your birdhouses are in place well before the breeding season begins. Don’t be discouraged if the birds do not begin nesting in your box immediately; sometimes it takes time for the birds to find it.
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In the south, place your birdhouses by February. |
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In northern regions, place your birdhouses by mid to late March. |
If you are looking to attract a variety of species to your nest boxes and have ample room, you might consider pairing your boxes. This involves placing boxes in pairs on poles 15 to 25 feet apart; or you can put two boxes, back to back, on a single pole. Birds such as Tree Swallows and bluebirds will nest closely to one another, although conspecifics will be driven away. Pairing boxes has the advantage of allowing more birds of both species to coexist peacefully within the same habitat.
Golf courses, cultivated fields, gardens, and yards are great habitats for nest boxes, but avoid areas where pesticides and herbicides are used. These agents are not only harmful to birds, they decrease and sometimes eliminate insect populations—the primary food source for many cavity-nesting species.
How to place your birdhouse
Whichever method you choose to erect your boxes, be sure your box is secure enough to withstand high winds and severe weather.
The best way to erect small nest boxes is on free-standing metal poles or PVC pipes. These pipes or poles offer several advantages:
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Nest boxes can be mounted higher than when mounted on a fence post. |
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Many predators find poles difficult to climb. |
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Poles can also be easily equipped with a predator guard. |
Where to place nest boxes
Bluebird
open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; Mountain and Western bluebirds will also use deciduous and coniferous forest edges; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west facing directions.
box height: 3-6 feet
Purple Martin
broad open areas (meadows, fields, farmland, swamps, ponds, lakes, rivers) with unobstructed space for foraging on flying insects; there should be no trees or buildings within 40 feet of the martin pole in any direction
box height: 10-15 feet
Wood Duck
forested wetlands or near marshes, swamps, and beaver ponds; place boxes in deciduous trees, 30-100 feet from the nearest water, spaced 600 feet apart. add 3" of wood shavings
box height: 6-30 feet
American Kestrel
pastures, fields, meadows, or orchards with mowed or grazed vegetation; place boxes on lone trees in fields, on trees along edges of woodlots, and on farm buildings
box height: 10-30 feet
Eastern Screech Owl
forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, wooded stream edges, under a tree limb. entrance hole should face north. Add 2"-3" of wood shavings
box height: 10-30 feet
Western Screech Owl
lower elevations, forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, deserts, wooded stream edges, under a tree limb. entrance hole should face north. Add 2"-3" of wood shavings
box height: 10-30 feet
Great Crested Flycatcher
deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, forest edges, woodlots, orchards, parks, on post or tree at forest edge
box height: 3-20 feet
Ash-throated Flycatcher
chaparral, mesquite thickets, oak scrub, dry plains spotted with trees or cacti, deserts, and open deciduous and riparian woodlands
box height: 3-20 feet
Northern Flicker
pastures, groves, woodlots, orchards, fields, meadows, woodland clearings, forest edges, urban parks, on pole or tree at forest edge or along fence rows bordering crop fields; box should be completely filled with wood chips or shavings. entrance hole should face southeast
box height: 6-30 feet
Tree Swallow
open fields near water, expansive open areas, marshes, meadows, wooded swamps; on a post in open areas near tree or fence, 30-100 feet apart. entrance hole should face east
box height: 5-15 feet
Violet-green Swallow
open or broken deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, wooded canyons, edges of dense forest
box height: 9-15 feet
Tufted Titmouse
deciduous forest, thick timber stands, woodland clearings, forest edges, woodlots, riparian and mesquite habitats; spaced one box per 8 acres, hole should face away from prevailing wind
box height: 5-15 feet
Black-capped Chickadee
forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight, spaced one box per 10 acres, hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
Carolina Chickadee
forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight, hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
Mountain Chickadee
coniferous forests, forest edges, woodland clearings; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
coniferous forests, mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, forest edges, woodlands, thickets, burned areas, often near streams; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
White-breasted Nuthatch
deciduous woodlands, mature forests, woodlots, near open areas, forest edges, orchards, often near water; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box
box height: 5-20 feet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, shrub lands, swamps, farmlands, suburban parks; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
Brown-headed Nuthatch
open stands of pine-hardwood forests, clearings scattered with dead trees, forest edges, burned areas, cypress swamps
box height: 5-20 feet
House Wren
variety of habitats, farmland, openings, open forests, forest edges, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubs
box height: 5-10 feet
Carolina Wren
forests with thick underbrush, forest edges, woodland clearings, open forests, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubs
box height: 5-10 feet
Prothonotary Warbler
lowland hardwood forests subject to flooding, stagnant water, swamps, ponds, marshes, streams, flooded river valleys, wet bottomlands; box should be over or near water
box height: 2-12 feet
Hooded Merganser
quiet, shallow, clear water pools surrounded by or near the edge of deciduous woods: small forest pools, ponds, swamps; add 3" of wood shavings
box height: 6-25 feet