Andy Camper

Birds of a Feather

Build It

Build a Bird House or Nest

Birds like woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, sparrows, starlings, bluebirds, wrens and some owls that normally excavate their homes in tree cavities will also happily make a home in a birdhouse.

The size, shape, location and even number of birdhouses in your yard or neighborhood are important factors to consider when building your house in order to attract a particular bird and keep it and its nestlings safe from predators. Try building your own birdhouse and see who moves into your yard!

These instructions include dimensions that work well for some of the most common bird species in North America such as the chickadee, nuthatch, wren and titmouse. You can substitute the dimensions below to make houses for other common bird species.

What you’ll need:

• Hammer
• Saw
• Screw driver
• Wood (pine works well)
• Finishing nails

• 1 eye screw

• Wood screws
• Drill
• Hole saw
• One hinge
• Hook-and-eye latch

Bird nest instructions

What you’ll need:

• mud
• straw
• grass
• twigs and sticks
• string