The Popular Birdhouse Addition You May Want To Avoid

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Imagine stepping into your backyard on a warm, sunny morning and being surrounded by birdsong. Songbirds are well-welcomed visitors in yards around the world, with beautiful melodies and vibrant feathers that make any garden feel magical. These chatty birds also offer an array of benefits, such as pest management and weed control. As a result, you may find yourself on the mission of attracting more songbirds to your yard, and birdhouses are a great place to start — so long as you're aware of the one popular feature you'll want to avoid.

Birdhouses are a great way to attract more birds to your yard. When paired with other garden features, like baths and bird-friendly plants that increase bird diversity, you can create a songbird safe haven that will keep your yard filled with activity. However, not all birdhouses are fit for the job of providing birds with safe shelter. For example, while a perch may seem like an aesthetic feature that birds will love, it can actually pose a fatal threat to your smaller feathered friends by making hunting easier for dangerous predators.

At first, adding a perch to your birdhouse may seem like a good idea. After all, when you hear birdsong and look around, you're likely to find a small passerine perched on a tree branch or similar area, singing their heart out. However, while birds do perch, they do so only for a short break from flight time. When it comes to landing on or entering a birdhouse, perches aren't actually necessary. As a result, not only are they functionless for the birds you hope to invite to nest in your yard, but they open the door of opportunity for the predators you don't want to attract.

While snakes and domestic cats are common songbird predators, other birds can also be a threat — especially jays, ravens, crows, and magpies. Corvids are intelligent birds, and some species, such as crows, prey not only on the eggs within your birdhouse but the hatchlings themselves. Without a perch, getting close to the entrance hole of your birdhouse can be a hassle for these larger critters, making it more difficult for predatory birds to steal an egg or nestling for a quick snack. When your birdhouse includes a perch, on the other hand, it gives a place for predator birds to sit and easily access the inside.

Avoiding perches isn't the only way you can make your birdhouse a safer home, however. Adding a baffle is a must-have to keep animals away from your bird seed, or opt for a birdhouse that includes a sturdy predator guard, such as the SISTERBIRD birdhouse kit, which includes copper guards to prevent predators from pecking or chewing out a larger entrance.