Nestboxes vs Birdhouses

Be a Good Songbird Landlord: Bird houses are NOT nestboxes. Some songbirds are cavity nesters. They will nest in holes in dead trees, but will also, to our delight, will nest in nestboxes that we provide. It is our duty to be good landlords and provide proper nestboxes and locate them in a safe location. Birdhouses should only be used as decoration in your yard or garden. They are usually made to be attractive to us, but are not safe for cavity nesters. They are often painted, which is not necessary and not the best for birds. They are often shapes that are not good for cavity nesters. They are often put in locations that expose the birds to predators, like raccoons, squirrels and cats. They do not have a way to access the inside, like nestboxes do. If they have a hole, a bird may decide to nest in them. We admit baby songbirds for a number of reasons, one is when the parents don't return to a nest. Every year we admit baby birds from birdhouses and nestboxes. Birdhouses are a problem, because they must be broken to free the babies and the babies may be injured.

Please, if you choose to put up a Birdhouse, plug the hole or put up a real nestbox. Nestboxes are easy to make. There are excellent websites about being a good landlord.

We have 17 nestboxes at Destined to Fly farm and add more each year. Last year we hosted Tree Swallows, Eastern Bluebirds, Great-crested Flycatchers and this cheery House Wren. House Wrens fill our nestboxes with hundreds of twigs, building a platform inside the box to put their cup-shaped nest on. This past summer it was fascinating to watch this wee bird in action.

http://www.sialis.org/index.html http://www.nestboxbuilder.com/nestbox-plans.html