Winter Bird House Plans - Keep Your Birds Cozy All Winter Long!

Below are winter bird house plans for a winter bird roost or shelter that is designed for bluebirds, but may also be used by wrens, chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, tree swallows, and other small birds.

robin on winter bird house plans

Be sure keep the hole at 1 1/2" and not go larger, otherwise starlings and cowbirds can enter the hole.

What's especially nice about these winter bird shelter plans is that at the end of winter you can then use it as a bluebird house just by rotating the front wall and removing the perches - nice!

winter bird house plans

The design above is from the Missouri Department of Conservation where we have found several nice designs for free bird house plans in the the past.

Winter Bird House Assembly

Here's a video that quickly shows you how to put together the winter roost box plans from above.

The Coveside Winter Roost Box is a a great shelter box made out of white pine with 3 perches inside to accomodate up to 6 birds or more (depending on size and how close and cozy they want to be) on cold, winter nights.

winter bird roosting boxes

Helping Birds by Providing Them Shelter in the Winter

Providing a winter bird roost will give birds that extra bit of protection from the wind and cold temperatures and help them preserve calories and energy reserves.

Your winter bird shelter may make all the difference to a bird, especially on an extra cold night or during a fierce wintry storm.

You can just imagine the difference it would make if you were outside in the wind and snow versus being inside a sheltered room.

Get a Bird Bath Heater or Heated Bird Bath

It may be difficult for birds to find open, unfrozen water sources in the winter, so you can also help them out by providing a bird bath heater that you place inside the water or a heated bird bath which has a built-in heater.

This API Heated Bird Bath stays warm down to -20F.

heated bird bath bowl

Having a fresh water source means that the birds do not have to waste energy flying to find other water sources.

All you need now is a bird feeder and they have nearly no reason to leave - water, food and shelter all provided by you. I'd move in, wouldn't you?!

Feeding Birds in the Winter

Don't forget to read our Winter Bird Feeding Tips to provide the best high-caloric seed combinations and suet for winter-time feeding.

Winter Roosting Box Plans with Perches

Below is another winter roost box plan that shows how to insert dowel rods inside the house for perches.

winter roosting box plans for birds

Do Birds Get Cold? - Learn how birds survive the extreme cold in winter through communal roosting and more.

Bird House Plans for Different Species

Bluebird House Plans

Purple Martin Bird House Plans

Wren House Plans

American Kestrel Nest Box Plans

Phoebe and Robin Nest Box Plans

Gourd Birdhouses

All Bird House Plans

Free Bird House Plans

Bird House Design Tips

How to Build a Wooden Bird House from a Log

Bird House Dimensions Chart

Bird House Designs

Wooden Bird Houses

Making Bird Houses - Construction Tips

Winter Bird House Plans

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