Wooden bird houses come in a variety of sizes and designs to attract a wide
variety of species to nest in your backyard bird house. Some essential design
attributes that a bird house should have includes drainage and ventilation holes, a secure
hinged door that can be opened for cleaning, monitoring and locked to prevent
easy access by predators or mischievous little boys.
The
wood type that is best is red cedar, bald cypress or redwood because of its natural
weather resistance and durability, but any hardwood or softwood would be fine as well.
It is also best to buy
wooden bird houses that are made from untreated wood that is not coated with any
kind of chemicals. If you want your wooden bird house to be painted, make sure
water based exterior latex paint is used and it is a light color to reflect
heat. The wood should be at least 3/4 inches thick to provide insulation from
heat and cold.
Some well liked wood bird houses on Amazon:
Decorative bird houses are nice to look at, but not necessarily functional.
Don't buy a nest box that is too small. Make sure the floor size is at least
4x4" and the height is at least 5" so that the house is large enough for adults
to maneuver and feed young and the nestlings have enough room for development.
If your bird house has a perch, remove it. Birds do not need it and it just
invites aggressive birds like House Sparrows to take over the bird house. We
have more tips about nest boxes at
making bird
houses and
bird
house dimensions chart.
Here are some of the best basic wood nest boxes from Duncraft made from hight
quality wood construction, easy to maintain and high durability. The entrance
holes vary and are big enough for wrens, chickadees, nuthatches, bluebirds among
a variety of other species (click on photo or link below to view more
information):
Some good deals on wood birdhouses on eBay. A lot of sellers build these
themselves or they come directly from the manufacturer and the savings is passed
onto you:
Hope you find a wooden bird house that will attract your favorite backyard birds
and be successful in producing a new crop of bird youngsters. Enjoy viewing the
bird cycle of life!