Chars Wild Art Blog: Dont Perch On My Birdhouse!

The Nesting Box - Charlotte Sherman

I've been making birdhouses for over 18 years, I've taken many Ornithology classes over the years and have participated in The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "Project Feeder Watch."

One of the very first lessons I learned is NEVER put a perch on a birdhouse!! Only predator birds use the perch.... WARNING: The following paragraph contains graphic information:

   They steal and eat the eggs, or they steal the babies, carry
   them to a puddle and drown and eat them.

So next point is to consider the entrance hole size. Most native song birds use a 1-1/2" diameter opening and it keeps out more aggressive non-native birds like house sparrows and starlings. Some birds can use an even smaller opening. It's good to know which species you want to attract, then research the minimum opening size the species requires.

Birds need a certain amount of floor space inside the house so the hatchlings have room to grow. For smaller songbirds like wrens, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches, 4" x 4" is usually fine. Larger birds need more floor space. The height of the entrance is also important, it should be between 4 and 5 inches.

Each house should be checked for ventilation, proper drainage, the use of non-toxic materials and be able to open them for once a year cleaning.

One year I was doing an Art Show in Arizona, another vendor was there selling birdhouses, she had perches, no way to clean them out AND she thought it was "cute" to paint the inside!!! As people stopped and asked me why mine didn't have perches - I had a huge crowd around me - I noticed several people checking their bags and returning birdhouses to the other vendor....I however, sold out all my inventory.


Log Cabin Birdhouse

Today the only birdhouses that I continue to make are the cabin style’s. I make them to be used outdoors, however almost everyone displays them in their home. They are ventilated, and have removable screws either on the side or bottom for easy clean out.