How To Choose The Perfect Birdhouse Size For Your Backyard

Adding a birdhouse to your backyard is a fun, easy way to make your space more inviting to local bird populations. You are offering temporary shelter or perhaps a place for them to settle down inside and lay their eggs. But picking out the right size can be a challenge if you don't know what you're even looking for. Some bird species can seem like Goldilocks, requiring a space that is "just right" for them before they will be completely interested. And if you want birds to take up residence in your nest boxes and raise families, size also matters.

When picking out the size of a birdhouse, consider one big factor — the types of birds you want to gather. It can be easy to attract birds that serve as little helpers in your garden with the right-sized bird feeder. If you're looking to offer homes for the most common birds that grace the average backyard, like chickadees, bluebirds, swallows, and owls, go for a compact style of house. A birdhouse actually does not need to be that large to be a cozy resting place for a bird. A square base between 4 and 6 inches long is enough. However, many other species of birds have other noted preferences or needs. Northern flickers, a type of woodpecker, need larger spaces with 7 by 7 inch floors, to account for their larger size.

Adding birdhouses, specifically nest boxes, to your outdoor spaces is a simple method to attract more songbirds to your yard and garden. The types of birds you want to attract to your yard with a birdhouse will determine two main components of your birdhouse's size. First, the height of the birdhouse might change depending on the size of the species you want to host. If you're looking to mainly attract songbirds like wrens, chickadees, and swallows, the total height of the box should be between 9 and 12 inches. However, larger birds like American kestrels, screech owls, and wood ducks need taller spaces, ranging from 14 to 26 inches in height.

The size of the entrance hole to the birdhouse is another important consideration. The right entrance hole size will attract certain birds, who can be fastidious about an exact size. In general, the majority of common songbirds need a hole 1 ½ inches in diameter. But slight differences remain. For example, eastern bluebirds and mountain bluebirds require slightly different sized holes, with mountain bluebirds needing a slightly larger size. 

Designing a birdhouse requires attention to detail, including keeping your feathery visitors safe from predators while they stay. There are several common birds you never want to see at your bird feeder, like starlings, and you can help keep them away from bird feeders and other birds with the proper birdhouse size. For example, a crescent-shaped entrance hole on a birdhouse keeps out European starlings but allows purple martins inside.