4
What Type of Bluebird Nesting Box is Best.
Your choices are many. They include the Peterson box, the
front opening box, the side opening box and the PVC box. There
are boxes made of cedar, pine and plywood.
No matter which type you build, follow these guidelines:
(1) No perch should be attached to the front of the box, for
this may encourage house sparrows, which are undesirable
competitors.
(2) Entrance holes should be 1-1/2" in diameter for Eastern
bluebirds and 1-9/16" for Mountain and Western bluebirds.
If the hole is oval, it should be 1-3/8" wide and 2-1/4" long.
(3) Floor dimensions should be approximately 4" x 4" for
Eastern bluebirds and 5" x 5" for Mountain and Western
bluebirds.
(4) Height from top of floor to bottom of entrance hole should
be about 5" to 7".
(5) Opening the box should be easy for monitoring and
cleaning. Side- or front-opening boxes are easiest to clean,
but top-opening boxes are easiest to monitor.
(6) Ventilation, by means of small holes drilled at the top of
the sides or back, or gaps left between the roof and sides
or front, should be provided.
(7) Drainage holes, such as holes drilled in the floor or space
between the floor and the sides, should be present.
(8) Attaching the box to a tree or post should be easy. Be
sure this has been provided for.
(9) At least 3/4" thick wood should be used as the building
material to provide adequate insulation from the sun.
(10) The roof should overhang the entrance hole by at least 1"
to 2" to keep out rain and shade the entrance.
– Donald and Lillian Stokes
The Bluebird Book
Eastern
Bluebird
Nest
Tree
Swallow
Nest
House
Sparrow
Nest
Carolina
Chickadee
Nest
House
Wren
Nest
