There’s nothing as disappointing as opening a birdhouse that just hatched eggs, only to find them dead from a snake or predatory bird.
If you want to protect your birds from predators, predator guards are necessary. A predator guard will help protect adults as well as bluebird babies, and eggs. We’ve mentioned it briefly before, but making your birdhouse predator-proof is important since bluebirds are smaller creatures. They give a foothold for territorial birds like house sparrows to corner bluebirds in their home and kill them and take the nest for themselves. Perches are known to encourage nest destruction. It might be tempting to add a perch to your birdhouse, but adding one can attract predators of bluebirds. It can be hard to strike a balance, but following a birdhouse designed for bluebirds or purchasing one is the best way to get a birdhouse that perfectly suits their needs. Otherwise, you risk the hatchlings dying of hypothermia. However, the ventilation should not let water into the house or make it too cold. As for ventilation, the top edge and small holes on the side are great ways to do this. You should never paint a bluebird house with dark colors or use glass for the roof as that will elevate the interior temperature. When a birdhouse gets too hot, it can cook the eggs inside, which will cause the adult birds to leave and find a better nesting location. Bluebird houses can get too hot, so ensuring they have good ventilation will keep the birds and eggs safe. Just like we need proper ventilation in our homes, so do birds. The best part about these smaller holes is that they help deter larger predatory birds since they can’t fit through the holes. Eastern, western, and mountain bluebirds need different size holes for their houses.Įastern bluebirds need a 1 1/2″ round hole, and western, and mountain bluebirds need a 1 9/16″ round hole. Bluebirds are small cavity birds, so the hole needs to represent that. The hole of the birdhouse needs to suit the size of the bluebirds. They prefer larger spaces, more like 6X6 inches. Mountain bluebirds have the largest house among the three. Their dimensions are 5.5×5.5, allowing plenty of room for their wingspans. Western bluebirds prefer a slightly larger floor for their houses. These dimensions give fletchings plenty of room to stretch their wings. Don’t forget to include the thickness of the wood in your dimensions! Eastern BluebirdsĮastern bluebird houses usually have a 5×5 floor. While the floor dimensions will change, a good rule of thumb is to make each house 9″ deep to help prevent predators. The measurements will vary depending on which type of bluebird you want to attract.īelow you’ll find the floor dimensions for each type of bluebird. Next, you’ll need to consider the dimensions of the birdhouse you’re adding to your backyard. Just make sure there are footholds available for the babies to climb out when it’s time to fledge. Recycled plastic birdhouses are also suitable. Using rough wood gives footholds to fledglings ready to leave the nest and leaves plenty of footholds for adult bluebirds. The wood is thick, sturdy, untreated, and uncured. Wood is the most common material people use to make birdhouses. Remember that it’s illegal to remove the nests of native bird species, so if you attract different birds than bluebirds, you can’t simply remove the nest. So, being careful about how you design and where you place your bluebird house will ensure you’re only attracting bluebirds and other native species. They prefer to nest in small holes they find in trees, but this can be an issue since house sparrows will take the holes away from the bluebirds, kill the adults and break their eggs. When designing your bluebird house, you’ll want to consider that these birds are cavity birds. You can have beautiful bluebirds in your yard with some research and commitment. This hobby isn’t for the faint of heart, as it takes a lot of dedication and spirit to host bluebirds successfully. Giving them the proper house that protects them from predators is key to attracting them and keeping them coming back to your yard.
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