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Have you taken the time to buy some decorative birdhouses for the birds in and around your yard only to find the birds aren’t living in them? So let’s take a closer look at the birdhouses you have bought. Are the birdhouses the right size for the types of birds you want to live in them? Different kinds of birds have different requirements. Check the inside of the house. Measure to see how large or how small it is. Check the entrance holes to the birdhouse, make sure they are large enough for the birds, but still too small for the squirrels and other animals that may threaten the well-being of the birds. The distance of the entrance hole to the floor of the birdhouse is significant to a bird. If you are not sure of these facts about the birds in your neighborhood, do some research to find out what they prefer.
Make sure there is enough ventilation in the birdhouse. If the house is too warm in the summer, the birds will avoid it. There should be sufficient holes in the house for ventilation. There should also be a drainage hole in the floor of the birdhouse for added ventilation and to prevent standing water inside the birdhouse. Stand water is dangerous for birds because of the parasites and diseases, which can breed in the standing water and because baby birds can drown. If the house you purchased does not have these, make your own with the use of a saw for slats in the floor, and slats in the walls for ventilation and drainage or use a drill to drill small holes for drainage and aeration.
Make sure you can access the inside of the birdhouse through the top, front, or sides to monitor the nest and clean the birdhouse. If you can access the birdhouse from the bottom, there is a chance the den could fall out of the birdhouse and will make it impossible to clean or monitor the nest without disturbing it.
Most birds prefer the birdhouse to blend in with the surroundings. They don’t like a birdhouse that attracts attention. Brown or dark green will help camouflage the house, and the paint will help preserve the wood. Never use toxic paint, such as lead-based paint or varnish on the interior or exterior of a birdhouse. When the birds peck at the home, they can inadvertently ingest some of the color, which is harmful to their health, while the fumes of the varnish are dangerous to both adult birds as well as their offspring. So if you need to repaint the birdhouse, you might keep in mind that the houses of the Purple Martins are white, while tanning, gray works for other species of birds. These colors will also reflect the heat and help keep the house a cooler temperature in the summer.
If the birdhouse has all the necessary features and is made from a durable, waterproof material, then you might look at the location of the birdhouse. Birds will snub a home because of the area.
