Attracting Birds with Nest Boxes
Placing a nest box (sometimes called a birdhouse) in your yard or
neighborhood is a great way to attract birds that nest in holes.
Participants in The Birdhouse Network, a citizen-science project of
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, monitor the birds that nest in their nest
boxes, gathering information such as the number of eggs or young in the
nest, then submitting their data over the Internet to Lab scientists.
The Birdhouse Network's website has lots of great information about
nest boxes and the birds attracted to them. Follow the links below to
learn more:
Nest Box Basics
- What makes a good nest box (birdhouse)
- Plans for building nest boxes and anti-predator guards
- When, where and how to place your nest box
- Cavity-nesting birds and their nesting and habitat characteristics
- Dealing with raccoons, squirrels, snakes, House sparrows, European Starlings, and other predators and competitors
- List of nest box suppliers, by state
- Comprehensive bibliography and book list
Information about specific cavity-nesting birds including:
- Species accounts: physical characteristics, distribution and breeding habitat, pair formation and territoriality, diet, nesting behavior, winter movement, and dispersal.
- Range maps: cavity-nesting species and where you will find them
- A comprehensive listing of nesting and habitat requirements, nest and egg descriptions and and breeding characteristics for cavity-nesting birds that use nest boxes (birdhouses)
- Glossary of words related to nest box birds