Duncraft's Guide to Bird Houses

More Bird House Info:

1. Before Buying a Bird House
2. Specs for Bird House Nesting Boxes
3. List of Birds That Live In Bird Houses
4. The Right Placement & Territory Size
5. When, Where and How Many Houses
6. Solutions on How to Keep Predators Out
7. How to Help Birds Make Nests
8. Building Habitats for Birds

The Right Height, Placement and Territory Size

Birds are house hunters and they can be a choosy for just the right height and direction. They will inspect all their options and may look at several locations before committing. By giving them a couple of choices in your yard -- you may have a few broods to enjoy this summer.

Shop By Bird Type Here

The chart below gives you insight on how to attract nesting birds -- you can shop by bird type or look in our bird house category to locate the proper birdhouse:

Type of Bird	Height of House from Ground	Placement	Territory size
Bluebirds	4' - 6'	Facing open areas or fields	2.5 - 5 acres
Chickadees	5' - 10'	Near trees and open areas	9 - 10 acres
Ducks	When on land: 10'+, when box is over water: 4'+	Facing lakes, streams, marshes	None
Finches	4' - 10'	Can be anywhere, usually near your house	Area near birdhouse
Flycatchers	6' - 20'	Near the edge of a forested area	Unknown
Kestrels	15' - 30'	Open fields or near the edge of a forested area	Several hundred acres
Nuthatches	5' - 10'	Wooded areas or mixture of open fields and forested areas	20 - 50 acres
Owls	5' - 20'	Forested areas	Varies by type of owl
Purple Martins	8' - 20'	Near your house, preferably with a pond, stream, birdbath nearby	Near their hole of the martin community
Swallows	4' - 10'	Open fields	Area near nest
Titmice	5' - 10'	Mixture of open fields and forested areas	2.5 - 5 acres
Woodpeckers	10' - 20'	Forested areas	Varies by type of woodpecker

Many breeding birds establish territories where they will not let other birds nest, while some species do allow other birds to share territories. And colony nesters like swallows or martins, have lots of other birds of the same type nest in the same location. Every species is aware of their own needs, and will settle in where they can support their young with the resources that are at hand.

You should put up a number of houses for different types of birds and they will choose the home that fits their lifestyle. Any season is the right time to establish bird housing. Some folks mount birdhouses to weather (age) during the off season so the wood can season and lose some of its new house odors... it's just like how a new car may smells to us.

Along with shelter (bird houses), food and water are the two key elements to locate near your active birdhouses. Raising a hungry family is hard work, and sometimes an away activity. To keep the nuturing close to the birdhouse place a birdfeeder and bath in a sheltered area within 20 feet. You will be able to enjoy nature's full cycle of hatching, feeding and fledgling. The young birds that have just left the nest will come visit the feeder -- and that will delight your family and friends.