A simple bluebird box. Other wild birds who can nest in this box are: Eastern Bluebirds, western bluebirds, chickadees (black capped, Carolina, chestnut backed & mountain), house finch, flycatchers (ash throated, great crested), nuthatches (white breasted, red breasted), Sparrow (house), Swallows (violet green, tree), titmice (tufted, plain), yellow bellied sapsucker, wren (Carolina, Becwiks, house), warbler prothontary. We call it a bluebird box, but it’s a great all around box.

This is the main size birdhouse we put up. While it’s designed for a bluebird, it’s suitable for such a variety of cavity nesting birds that we consider it our standard smaller species bird box. You can drive yourself dingy with trying to figure out the perfect dimensions for each species. If you start trying to build a very specific house for each bird species, they’ll do what they want anyway and some birds who may have otherwise been attracted to houses in your yard may get left out.

For example: a chickadee or a titmouse can live in the box size included in these plans. However, a chickadee can also nest in a smaller box with a smaller entrance hole, but a titmouse can not. So you go ahead and build a small house with chickadees in mind, and a second larger house with titmice in mind. Then the chickadee decides your best laid plans are your plans, not his, and moves into the titmouse box and not the special one you built just for chickadees.* The titmouse can not fit in the smaller hole of the chickadee box you built, so is left to find a different place to nest.

Meanwhile, with the chickadee happily settled into your titmouse house, the chickadee gets territorial during breeding season. This is about March-July and they have a territory of around 10 acres. They will not allow another chickadee couple to nest in their area, therefore another chickadee couple will not be using the smaller special box that is still empty. However, they will let a titmouse (a titmouse has a 2-5 acre territory, breeds March-July) nest in their territory, or a nuthatch, or other species. Breeding chickadees primarily care about other chickadees. If you build two boxes which will suit either a chickadee or a titmouse, you have a better chance of attracting each to nest on your property.

So, we put up several boxes in this size to accommodate a wider variety of birds and to avoid confusing ourselves with dimension mathematics since really, that’s a topic with a million human opinions and the birds aren’t talking. We’ve had great luck with this size house for Eastern bluebirds, chickadees, titmouse, Carolina wrens and red breasted and white breasted nuthatch. All have nested in one of these on our property.

*in reality what happens is some industrious little wren comes along and builds a house in both. And then builds a nest in your garage just in case.

Plans here! click image for larger

WOOD: We recommend a rough textured cedar for these plans. It weathers well and has a texture that is easy for the birds to cling to. This helps the babies when it’s time to fledge - the have better grip when trying to crawl out of the nest. Also, cedar does not have to be painted. Do not paint bird houses. Paint isn’t good for them and natural is more attractive to the birds. Do not put a perch on the box - the birds do not need it, and it only helps potential predators to get to the entrance and to the nestlings.

MOUNTING: This set of bird house plans may be post or pole mounted, or attached to a tree. To pole mount, one choice is to use plumbing pipe straps on the back to attach a pole to the back of the house. Pipe straps are very inexpensive and you can use a non-threaded pole this way. Don’t bother with the PVC style - they can be a pain in the buns and break.

A second method of pole mounting is to use a female threaded conduit pipe flange on the bottom of the box and a threaded pole. Galvanized threaded poles are available in hardware stores inexpensively - check the plumbing and conduit departments.

The bluebird house in these plans may also be mounted to a tree.

ACCESS Method One: Here are two methods for providing a way to open your bluebird box. Below is an illustration of the first method using piano hinges on the inside. This is a bit more difficult than the second method as you have to chisel a space where the hinges attach to the panels in order to recess the hinge into the wood. A nail or dresser hook in the front can be used as a fastener to keep the door panel closed, and a slightly protruding screw on the side acts as a doorknob. Why we like this method is because we feel that it is the safest for the babies - when you open the box, there is less danger of the babies falling out or disturbing the nest in any way.

ACCESS method two: The second method is easier. Please note that the birdhouse pictured is a front opening box, but the same thing can be done on the side.

This one is simple. A small. 1/4″ gap is left between the roof line and top of opening door side panel, and the sides screwed in from the top only. A dresser hook is used on the bottom front as a fastener to keep the access door closed. When you open the access door, simply remove the dresser hook and the door swings upward, which pivot on the top screws.

In the picture below, the block on the front interior is a small block of cedar which we have scored to help nestlings climb out of the box when it is time to fledge. This feature is optional - if you use a rough cedar, they should have enough grip. We add them because maybe it helps the birds and it’s a quick, simple step.

Notes: The predator guard on the front of both bluebird houses pictured are 3/4″ blocks with a metal ring around it to help keep squirrels from chewing the opening and to help keep squirrels or raccoons from reaching into the house to get nestlings or eggs. The metal ring can be purchased at a local wild bird watcher’s supply. We do recommend adding these.

So far this season, both of the houses in the photos have been inspected by a chickadee couple and an eastern bluebird couple. It’s early February and they are just house hunting, but during the season we will post updates on how successful various boxes are. Both the chickadees and bluebirds spent quality time checking out the potential homes, going inside repeatedly. They are placed on the edge of a woods with low shrubs and tree branches nearby for perching, at a height of about 5 feet off the ground. One box is on a tree and one pole mounted.

And as we tend to do, we encourage you to participate in NestWatch Birdhouse Network should you put up a bird house, or if you have wild birds building nests that you can keep an eye on. You can also shop for pre-made bird houses at Wild Bird Houses and Boxes.

This style bird house is classically called a wren house, but other smaller species can use it as well. Chickadees and titmice are two birds besides wrens who may pick this house to nest in. Often the problem with this bird house style is the size: usually they are not big enough on the interior and deep enough for birds to build a nest in. Make certain that a wren house is at least 6″ on each side with an entrance hole at least 5 1/2″ from the bottom of the house.

GET THE PLANS! click image for larger

An option for a circular hole as the front entrance is to cut out the top corner where the birds may enter. Advantages of this are: It is easier to cut the triangle out than drill a circular hole. A circle as the entrance needs to be so close to the top of the front panel that you risk splitting the wood.

If you use a triangle cut-out entrance and the wren house is going to be hung, an overhead baffle should be used since it is too easy for predators to access. Clear hanging baffles are available in dome shapes. On houses with circular holes, you can add a 3/4″ thick wood hole extender and metal ring around the entrance to offer some protection , but on the triangle shape you may not.

MOUNTING: This wren style bird house may be hung or post mounted. Post mounting is safest for the birds!!! To post mount, screw a 3/4 to 1″ thick board to the back of the house, just under the roof line and extending at least 10″ below the house to use as a mounting bracket. You may then screw the mounting bracket board into a post. This is more difficult than hanging as you will have to screw the top of the mounting bracket from the interior of the house.

We personally hang this style bird house by using an eye hook in the front panel and the back panel and suspending by a chain but we go the extra distance to tie it down securely. PLEASE BE AWARE: if you hang this house, you must must must make sure that it is secure and does not blow around much. A wind or storm will shake the daylights out of it, break eggs and harm birds. ANOTHER WIRE can be used to anchor the house from the back to another stabilizing mount such as a tree or even the ground if needed. We ALWAYS anchor these with a second chain or wire.

ACCESS: We have found that the easiest access method for a hanging wren house is to hinge the roof. This is done with a hinge attaching one roof panel to the side of the box, and a hook and eye on the back exterior of the house to secure it closed, OR a dresser hook pin drilled through the roof into the back side edge as a fastener. Please refer to the photo - it is worth a thousand words and all that. A piano hinge may be used on the interior, but remember that there is a 1/4″ ventilation gap between the side of the house and roof line. Ventilation holes may also be drilled in the back. A bird house needs drainage - Drain holes may be drilled in the bottom sides, 1/4″. In the case of the photo, the bottom is not a perfect fit as the board was slightly warped so these holes are not needed. There is a small gap in the bottom seam.

We have seen wren house plans where the access is on the sides, with a side panel that removes to open, but this does not wok out too well for monitoring nests. If there are babies in a nest, they should be checked on, and you can not remove the

side without disturbing the nest itself. The nest is built on the sides of the box.

Notes: the metal ring at the opening was purchased at a local wild bird watcher supply. It is now January here and the birds are just checking boxes but not actively nesting. In a few weeks we will hang this house under a clear dome baffle (we have snakes) and hang it by a more decorative chain, but for right now, this give the birds the opportunity to house hunt. After a couple of seasons the cedar will age and blend well with it’s surroundings.

It has been up a week and the chickadees and titmice have inspected it, and ironically, an Eastern bluebird couple. The bluebirds spent a lot of time on it, going inside over and again, along with checking out the surrounding area. This particular bluebird couple also looked at the other bird houses in our yard but seemed to like the wren house style best. Our other bird houses the bluebird couple inspected are designed to be specifically suited for bluebirds. Of course at this time it’s just inspecting potential homes, not nesting, but we’d think it would be amusing if they did decide to nest in a wren house and ignore the bluebird houses.

Our Carolina Wren couple hasn’t look at it yet that we know of - but they are battling us for our grill which they really are very determined to move into.

If you build a bird house, buy a bird house, or just have wild birds nesting on your property, please consider participating in NestWatch Birdhouse Network!

LATER NOTE: we had Carolina chickadees successfully nest and raise a family in this box. You can also shop for pre-made bird houses at Wild Bird Houses and Boxes.

Here is a super easy set of bird house nesting platform plans. This one has no roof which is fairly natural for the birds. If mounted under eaves and on the non-weather side of a building, the nestings will be given some weather protection.

We build bird houses out of cedar. It’s a personal preference on our part - other untreated wood such as white pine may also be used, but pine requires painting. Cedar is very durable and weather resistant, and also more bug resistant than other woods. It will last for years and many birds will be able to raise their young without having to re-paint.

Birds who may use a nesting shelf are: American robins, Eastern phoebe, black phoebe, Says phoebe and barn swallows. Other species do occasionally make use of shelves.

Holes can be drilled through the back to allow for mounting.

click on image for larger picture

You can also shop for nesting shelves at Wild Bird Nesting Shelf.

Nesting shelf platforms may appeal to a few species of wild birds which do not nest in cavities. This can include American robins, Eastern phoebe, black phoebe, Says phoebe and barn swallows. Of these, the American robin is most likely to use a shelf.

Wood: We always use cedar for building bird houses. It does not need to be painted, wears very well and has a rough surface which is easy for birds feet to grip. As cedar weathers, it turns a beautiful color which blends well with natural surroundings.

Placement: Place nesting shelf platforms under eaves of buildings in an area not well traveled by humans. Place facing away from the direction wind and weather blows in from. Another option is to place in low growing shrubs. A short pole is perfect for this - about 3 - 5 ft tall.

Options: Feel free to leave the roof off of a nesting shelf you build! It may be more appealing to the birds without a roof as it would be more natural. Experiment! Build two!

click on image for larger version

bird baths: Dust Baths
Avid backyard bird watchers love dust baths! They are a fun, easy project and quick to set up, the birds may be seen easily. They make a great addition to watching stations.

What is a dust bath?
Although it is not completely understood why, many bird species will visit a patch of dry sandy soil to take a dust bath. It seems to be a favorite pastime of theirs. They will often scratch at the soil with their beaks and claws to loosen it up and create a little bowl shaped indentation to sit in and take their bath. They really go to town while taking a dust bath! They fluff up their feathers and scramble around, stirring up the dust and soil, making a little cloud of bird happiness. They even lie down and roll around until they are completely covered. Then a bird will shake off the heavy dust and proceed to groom, preening and cleaning it’s wings and feathers.

Providing an area in your backyard habitat for wild birds to dust bath in is a simple matter, there are no fancy plans. You can easily build one yourself with little time or effort. The simplest way is to see if you have a small area of of exposed sandy soil in your backyard bird habitat that’s already perfect for a dust bath. It should be no less than 3 square feet with sun exposure. Be sure it is in a place where you can watch! If you already have an area, loosen up the soil a bit and watch to see if the birds visit it on their own.

Why Birds Take Dust Baths
It is thought that birds that take dust baths do so to help with feather maintenance, grooming and parasite control in the same manner of cleaning that a water bath would. Dust soaks up excess moisture and oil and may assist in to removing tiny parasites that live in a bird’s feathers. It’s thought that dust also sooths irritated skin and discourages skin parasites that infest birds. Taking a dust bath may even help birds cool down on hot days. Whatever the reason, it is something which birds do often and they seem to enjoy, so we encourage you to include a dust bath in your backyard habitat. It’s simple and inexpensive.

make a dust bath plans

1. Select a sunny spot in your garden to create your wild bird dust bath. Direct sun keeps the contents of the bath dry and flaky while helping to evaporate excess moisture after a heavy dew or rain. Make sure the area you choose is not near any bushes or shrubs.

2. Remove the grass, sod or top soil from a three foot to four foot square area. The depth of a dust bath should be about six inches, so dig down as you clear and break up the sod.

3. Add equal parts of sand, leaf loam or peat moss and sifted wood ash. Make certain the wood ash is free of small lumps of leftover charcoal that damage smaller feathers and feather down. Mix equal parts of the three ingredients until they are completely blended and fill your area with the mix.

You can make your dust bath decorative by lining it with brick or landscaping stones. You also want to keep the sandy soil mixture in the bath itself and not spread out, so an edge will help.

This is a dust bath we recently made from a landscape timber. It is in an area we plan to landscape during the cooler weather. This photo was snapped in the early morning, but the bath will get all day sun and is located near the edge of woods, but far enough away not to hide predators. It is about 2 1/ feet x 2 feet and filled with playground sand. The playground sand is a test on our part. We noticed several birds dust bathing in an area that is concrete dust and thought we’d see how pure sand worked out.

Dust bath tips

• Place a water bowl or water-filled bird bath near the dust bath in order that the birds a place to bathe and drink. Sometimes they like to take a water bath after a dust bat.
• If you have outdoor cats in your area, make sure that the dust bath away from areas they frequent. Bathing at ground level makes birds vulnerable to cats, so provide felines with no hiding places such as shrubbery nearby. You do not want cats to use you’re dust bath as an outdoor litter box.
• Change out the sandy soil in your bath occasionally to keep it free of bird droppings or parasites.
• We have had good luck with bird dust baths by mixing the hard clay that is natural in this area with sand. We have also had good luck with pure, fine sand such as would go in a sandbox. Hardware stores usually carry sandbox sand in 50lb. Bags.
• We also recommend a slightly raised dust bath. If you plan to build a dust bath, add a small wall with brick, landscape edging or landscape timber, this will raise the bath about 4 inches, making a tiny sand box. This helps the dust bath to drain after a rain and keeps the sandy mixture in. Plus it just looks pretty!

update - the thrashers and sparrows love this dust bath. We still only have the sand in it, but we may add some wood ash just for a test.

Bird House Dimensions Chart

If you have any woodworking skills or know anyone with woodworking skills who you can talk into building bird houses (Mom, that means you) - we encourage you to do so! Buying a birdhouse is a great idea and many are very well made, but there is also no reason at all not to make your own. If you have some land with a field or the like, setting out a row of bluebird boxes for example can get costly. We have both purchased and build bird houses.
Our object here is to help you build a straight, practical bird house which will actually be used by wild birds. We have provided a list of dimensions to use with various species of north American cavity and shelf nesting birds.
Check with our Bird House Building or Buying page for basic advice, but here are a few more tips for building:
Wood Type: We use untreated cedar. It weathers well, looks natural as it weathers to the birds and offers some predator protection due to it’s more natural look. and we like the rougher texture which helps baby birds get a foothold when climbing out of the box for the first time. Pine may also be used but keep in mind that yellow pine often has pitch or resin pockets, so consider white pine.
For pole mounted bird house, use a squirrel/predator guard. Squirrel, rats, snakes and other critters will climb poles and eat eggs or baby birds. If you are building several bird houses, some metal flashing in a cone shape around the pole often does the trick. We have tried this on houses with success.
A good idea is to put a metal ring around entrance holes. Squirrels will instantly chew the daylights out of your bird house entrance hole and customize it for themselves. There are specialty bird house metal rings for sale which are specifically for woodworkers building boxes, but we have also had good luck finding metal rings in the plumbing department of the hardware store. The metal ring will keep a squirrel from chewing the wood on the side of the entrance hole.

CAVITY NESTING BIRDS - will use classic bird house

                                  Entrance             Placement
                Box      Box      height                above
                interior height/  above      Entrance   ground
                floor    depth    floor      diameter   height
   Species      inches   inches   inches     inches     feet
   =============================================================
   Eastern & Western
   Bluebird      4x4-5x5   8-12     6-10     1-1/2      4-6
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Mountain
   Bluebird   5-1/2x5-1/2  8-12     6-10     1-9/16     4-6
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Chickadees
   Black Capped,
   Boreal
   Carolina      4x4-5x5   8-10     6-8     1-1/8 to 1-1/2   4-15
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Titmice       4x4-5x5   10-12    6-8     1-3/8 to 1-1/2   5-15
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Flycatcher
   Ash-throated  5x5-6x6  8-12      6-10    1-1/2 to 2-1/2   5-15
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Flycatcher
   Great
   Crested       5x5-6x6   8-12     6-10    1-1/2 to 2-1/2   5-15
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Nuthatch - Brown
   headed, Pygmy and
   Red & white
   Breasted      4x4-5x5  8-10      6-8     1-1/8 to 1-1/2   5-15
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Warbler
   Prothonotary  4x4-5x5  9-12      4-5     1-1/4 to 1-1/2   4-8
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Purple
   Martin        6x6        6       1-2     2-1/4            6-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Swallows
   Tree and
   Violet Green  4x4-5x5     9-12   4-6     1-1/4 to 1-1/2   5-15
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Wrens
   Bewick's &
   House         4x4-5x5     9-12   6-8     1-1/4 to 1-1/2   5-10
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Wren
   Carolina      4x4-5x5     9-12   6-8     1-1/2      5-10
   -------------------------------------------------------------

  OWLS:

                                   Entrance              Placement
                 Box      Box      height                above
                 interior height/  above      Entrance   ground
                 floor    depth    floor      diameter   height
   Species       inches   inches   inches     inches     feet
   =============================================================

   Barred Owls   13x15    15-18       4          6       12-18
   -------------------------------------------------------------

   Barn Owls                 16       4          8
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Screech
   Owls and
   Kestrel       8x8      12-15     9-12          3      10-30
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Saw-
   Whet Owl      6x6     10-12     8-10       2 1/2      12-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------

  WOODPECKERS:

                                   Entrance              Placement
                 Box      Box      height                above
                 interior height/  above      Entrance   ground
                 floor    depth    floor      diameter   height
   Species       inches   inches   inches     inches     feet

   =============================================================
   Downy
   Woodpecker    3x3-4x4  8-10     6-8      1-1/4 to 1-1/2    5-15
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Golden Fronted
   Woodpecker    6x6      12-15    9-12     1-3/4 to 2-3/4    12-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Hairy
   Woodpecker    5x5-6x6  12-15     9-12    1-3/4 to 2-3/4    8-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Lewis's
   Woodpecker    7x7     16-18    14-16     2-1/2     12-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Northern/
   Common
   Flicker       6x6-8x8 16-18    14-16     2-3      6-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Pileated
   Woodpecker    8x8    16-24    12-20      3-4      15-25
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Red Bellied
   Woodpecker    5x5-6x6  12-15  9-12    1-3/4 to 2-3/4   12-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Red Headed
   Woodpecker    5x5-6x6  12-15  9-12   1-3/4 to 2-3/4    10-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Yellow
   Bellied
   Sapsucker     5x5    12-15   9-12    1-1/2     10-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------

  DUCKS:

                                   Entrance              Placement
                 Box      Box      height                above
                 interior height/  above      Entrance   ground
                 floor    depth    floor      diameter   height
   Species       inches   inches   inches     inches     feet
   =============================================================
   Black-Bellied          22 front
   Whistling     11x11   -20 rear               5
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Wood Ducks    10x18   10-24    12-16         4       10-20
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Bufflehead    7 dia.     16              2 7/8
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Common                                   3 1/2 x
   Goldeneye     12x12      24              4 1/2
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   Common
   Merganser     11x11      34      20        4 3/4
   -------------------------------------------------------------

  SHELF NESTING BIRDS:

                                   Placement
                 Box      Box      above
                 interior height/  ground
                 floor    depth    height
   Species       inches   inches   feet   

   ===============================================                  

   American
   Robin         7x8        8      6-15
   ------------------------------------------------

   Barn
   Swallow       6x6        6      8-12
   ------------------------------------------------
   Doves,
   Rock          12x12      9      12-15
   ------------------------------------------------
   Phoebes       6x6        6      8-12
   ------------------------------------------------
   Swallow,
   Barn          6x6        6      8-12
   ------------------------------------------------
   Osprey       48x48 platform     OPEN ALL SIDES
   ------------------------------------------------
   Red tailed
   Hawk &
   Great
   Horned Owl    24x24 platform    OPEN ALL SIDES
   -------------------------------------------------

Platform/Tray Bird Feeder Plans for Woodworkers

This set of bird feeder plans are for a medium size platform feeder with a roof covering. It’s rather a hopper platform hybrid with a roof, partial sides and open front for the birds to land on. Any type of bird food can be used in this feeder, and the roof and sides give the seeds or food of choice you use some protection from the rain and weather. Be aware that the seed is not completely enclosed so therefore still has some exposure to weather.

Click on image for larger version

A platform style bird feeder requires more maintenance than other styles because it will need to be re-filled and cleaned more often, but is very attractive to a wide variety of songbirds. The birds can see the seeds easily and birds large and small can land on it. The open front allows good visibility for the bird watcher - it’s very easy to see what birds land on your feeder.

This feeder plan can be pole or wall mounted and will require squirrel / raccoon protection, unless of course you are trying to feed the squirrels and raccoons! Be sure to place the opening away from the direction rain and wind usually comes from in your yard. Drill small drainage holes in the bottom of the feeder to allow rain water to run out and keep seeds drier. Keep cleaning in mind when you place your feeder and be certain that it is accessible. You will need to empty out any shells left behind from seeds and to clean any build up of debris in the bottom tray. Keeping bird feeders is clean is important to the health and hygiene of your backyard birds.

Shop for already built platform bird feeders at Platform, Fly Through Bird Feeders

Wall or Post Mounted Small Hopper Feeder Plans

These plans are for a small hopper seed feeder which are great for smaller birds such as chickadees, titmice and wrens. You can hang it on a wall or mount the back to a post. They work well on deck or porch posts and are a good size if you live in an apartment, townhouse or condominium. If you use this design on your deck or porch, smaller birds will feed from the tray, giving you a good view of our feathered friends. We don’t recommend hanging simply because the feeder will be front heavy and lean forward, spilling seed.

Click the image for a larger version

A hopper feeder like this is designed to to hold seeds. Black oil sunflower, stripped sunflower, hulled sunflower or mixes all work well. For those apartment, townhouse or condominium dwellers, try hulled sunflower seeds so there is little to no mess for your neighbors to be concerned over. Peanuts can also be served up or a bird seed mix which includes peanuts.

You will need to use glass or Plexiglas in the front for the seed reservoir. We prefer plexi. What can we say - we are not that graceful and less likely to break is always best for us. It is held in by a dowel across the top and slides into grooves cut on the inside side walls. Your side walls must be wood which is at least 1/2″ thick to accommodate the grooves. Do not cut the grooves to the bottom of the wood, but leave a small space above the floor for the seeds to spill out from under the glass on to the tray area. The floor will need drain holes to keep water from building up in the seed tray during rain!
Our personal preference is always for unpainted wood. Rough cedar is our favorite building material for bird feeders and houses. Do not use pressure treated wood as it releases toxins as it cures.

Shop for already built hopper design bird feeders at Backyard Hopper Bird Feeders