Birdhouses are common decorations throughout the United States. They come in many shapes, styles, and sizes, from hanging gourds to copper-roofed gazebos. You may wonder what are birds looking for, and how do birds find birdhouses?
While some large birds such as ducks or owls will use man-made houses, in this article we will focus on songbirds. You’ll learn how birds search for and find birdhouses, their favorite types of houses, and their seasonal preferences for nesting.
Key Takeaways
- Most birdhouse-using birds are cavity nesters. These are the species that nest in tree holes in the wild.
- Make your birdhouse setup hospitable to house-hunting birds by making sure it’s the right size, high enough off the ground, with a small entrance hole and no perch. These specs will help protect against predators.
- Birds nest in the spring, and start searching for their perfect spot early. Get your setup ready, or clean out your existing birdhouse, in late winter.
How Do Birds Find BirdHouses?
Birds usually locate potential nest areas by sight. While on the move looking for food and moving through their environment, they are always keeping an eye out for potential spots. Late winter and early spring is when the search really kicks into high gear. Birds will search through their territory looking for good spots, and then spend some time investigating any contenders.
Birds that are attracted to human-made birdhouses are called cavity-nesters. In the wild, they look for holes in tree trunks or extremely dense snags. It is likely the most attractive thing about a birdhouse is simply the hole. Cavity nesting birds are used to scouting around for holes of a certain size.
What time of Year Do Birds Use Birdhouses?
In North America, the songbirds that use birdhouses mate and nest in the spring. Depending on your geographic area, breeding season can be as short as six to eight weeks, or as long as four months.
It’s advisable to prepare ahead of time for the breeding season so your setup is ready for the new family to move in. At the very latest, finish setting up your bird house in midwinter.
Why so early?
For one, setting it up early lets you troubleshoot problems like height, location, and predation risk. You may even set it up, look out your window, and realize you’d rather move it to a spot where you have a better view! This way you have a few weeks to tweak and move things while not disturbing any nesting birds.
Second, visitors arrive earlier than you might expect. Some species of birds arrive back from their migration in early spring or even late winter, and start looking around right away. I’ve seen bluebirds, a popular bird to attract with birdhouses, checking out potential spots in late February!
What do Birds Look For in a Birdhouse?
Songbirds have to consider safety and comfort when choosing a birdhouse. While each species can have slightly different criteria, here are some of the main categories they are looking at.
Sun Exposure
It can be hard to regulate temperature inside a small box. A birdhouse that is out in exposed sun all day long might get too hot for some species. M