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Tips on nest box placement
for common cavity nesters
We have compiled a nest box
guide from various sources and our own experience.
When to place birdhouses
Make sure your birdhouses are in place well before the
breeding season begins. Don’t be discouraged if the birds do
not begin nesting in your box immediately; sometimes it
takes time for the birds to find it.
In the south, place your birdhouses by February.
In northern regions, place your birdhouses by mid to
late March.
If you are
looking to attract a variety of species to your nest boxes
and have ample room, you might consider pairing your boxes.
This involves placing boxes in pairs on poles 15 to 25 feet
apart; or you can put two boxes, back to back, on a single
pole. Birds such as Tree Swallows and Bluebirds will nest
closely to one another, although nonspecific birds will be driven
away. Pairing boxes has the advantage of allowing more birds
of both species to coexist peacefully within the same
habitat.
Golf courses, cultivated fields, gardens, and yards are
great habitats for nest boxes, but avoid areas where
pesticides and herbicides are used. These agents are not
only harmful to birds, they decrease and sometimes eliminate
insect populations—the primary food source for many
cavity-nesting species.
How to place
your birdhouse
Whichever method you choose to erect your boxes, be sure
your box is secure enough to withstand high winds and severe
weather. The best way to erect small nest boxes is on
freestanding metal poles or PVC pipes. These pipes or poles
offer several advantages:
* Nest boxes can be mounted higher than when mounted on a
fence post.
* Many predators find poles difficult to climb.
* Poles can also be easily equipped with a predator guard.
Where to
place nest boxes
Bluebird
open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with
scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; Mountain and
Western bluebirds will also use deciduous and coniferous
forest edges; entrance hole should face open field,
preferring east, north, south, and then west facing
directions.
box height: 3-6 feet
Wood Duck
forested wetlands or near marshes, swamps, and beaver
ponds; place boxes in deciduous trees, 30-100 feet from the
nearest water, spaced 600 feet apart. add 3" of wood
shavings.
box height: 6-30
feet
American
Kestrel
pastures, fields, meadows, or orchards with mowed or
grazed vegetation; place boxes on lone trees in fields, on
trees along edges of woodlots, and on farm buildings
box height: 10-30 feet
Eastern Screech Owl
forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, wooded
stream edges, under a tree limb. Entrance hole should face
north. Add 2"-3" of wood shavings
box height: 10-30 feet
Western Screech Owl
lower elevations, forests, parks, woodland clearings,
forest edges, deserts, wooded stream edges, under a tree
limb. Entrance hole should face north. Add 2"-3" of wood
shavings
box height: 10-30 feet
Great Crested Flycatcher
deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, forest
edges, woodlots, orchards, parks, on post or tree at forest
edge
box height: 3-20 feet
Ash-throated Flycatcher
chaparral, mesquite thickets, oak scrub, dry plains
spotted with trees or cacti, deserts, and open deciduous and
riparian woodlands
box height: 3-20 feet
Northern Flicker
pastures, groves, woodlots, orchards, fields, meadows,
woodland clearings, forest edges, urban parks, on pole or
tree at forest edge or along fence rows bordering crop
fields; box should be completely filled with wood chips or
shavings. entrance hole should face southeast
box height: 6-30 feet
Tree Swallow
open fields near water, expansive open areas, marshes,
meadows, wooded swamps; on a post in open areas near tree or
fence, 30-100 feet apart. entrance hole should face east
box height: 5-15 feet
Violet-green Swallow
open or broken deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous
forests, wooded canyons, edges of dense forest
box height: 9-15 feet
Tufted Titmouse
deciduous forest, thick timber stands, woodland
clearings, forest edges, woodlots, riparian and mesquite
habitats; spaced one box per 8 acres, hole should face away
from prevailing wind
box height: 5-15 feet
Black-capped Chickadee
forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees,
forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight,
spaced one box per 10 acres, hole should face away from
prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
Carolina
Chickadee
forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees,
forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight,
hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can
be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
Mountain Chickadee
coniferous forests, forest edges, woodland clearings;
hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can
be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
coniferous forests, mixed deciduous-coniferous forests,
forest edges, woodlands, thickets, burned areas, often near
streams; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1"
shaving can be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
White-breasted Nuthatch
deciduous woodlands, mature forests, woodlots, near open
areas, forest edges, orchards, often near water; hole should
face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in
box
box height: 5-20 feet
Red-breasted Nuthatch
mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, shrub lands, swamps,
farmlands, suburban parks; hole should face away from
prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box
box height: 5-15 feet
Brown-headed Nuthatch
open stands of pine-hardwood forests, clearings
scattered with dead trees, forest edges, burned areas,
cypress swamps
box height: 5-20 feet
House Wren
variety of habitats, farmland, openings, open forests,
forest edges, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks,
backyards; near trees or tall shrubs
box height: 5-10 feet
Carolina Wren
forests with thick underbrush, forest edges, woodland
clearings, open forests, shrub lands, suburban gardens,
parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubs
box height: 5-10 feet
Prothonotary Warbler
lowland hardwood forests subject to flooding, stagnant
water, swamps, ponds, marshes, streams, flooded river
valleys, wet bottomlands; box should be over or near water
box height: 2-12 feet
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