How to Make a Bird House Out of Wood

Build a birdhouse to attract wild birds to your yard.

Wooden birdhouses are popular design elements in many yards and gardens today, serving both as functional nesting boxes for wild birds and as decorative items. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, cavity-nesting birds including chickadees, sparrows and bluebirds may move into a birdhouse when they cannot find a natural nesting site. Building a birdhouse out of wood adds a decorative element to the garden and can provide a home for a family of birds.

Things You'll Need

• Cedar, pine or redwood boards
• Saw (hand, power or table)
• Drill with drill bits
• Exterior-grade nails or screws
• Small exterior hinge

Instructions

1. Learn about the wild birds in your local area to determine which species will use a birdhouse placed in your yard. Many common backyard birds, including robins, make their nests in trees and bushes but will not move into an enclosed birdhouse. Other types of birds, such as purple martins, only use nesting boxes made to specific dimensions and placed in open areas. To attract chickadees and sparrows, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology recommends building a birdhouse that is 8 inches high, 5-1/2 inches wide and 4 inches deep. Larger birds, such as bluebirds, need a birdhouse built to different specifications.

2. Cut the board into the dimensions needed to attract the desired species of wild bird. For a chickadee or sparrow birdhouse, cut six pieces of wood to the following sizes:

   1 Front piece, 5-1/2 inches wide by 8 inches long.
   2 Side pieces, 4 inches wide by 9-1/2 inches long.
   1 Bottom piece, 4 inches wide by 4 inches long.
   1 Top piece, 7-1/2 inches wide by 7-1/2 inches long.
   1 Back piece, 5-1/2 inches wide by 14 inches long.

3. Drill an entrance hole, 1-1/4 inch in diameter, in the front piece. Position it by measuring 6-1/2 inches from the bottom of the wood, and center the entrance hole across the width.

4. To make a sloped roof line for the birdhouse, measure 1-1/2 inches down the edge of the side pieces and make a mark. Use a straight edge to draw a diagonal line between the opposite corner of the side piece and the mark, then cut along the line.

5. Attach the front piece to the side pieces using weather-resistant nails or screws. Locate and drill three holes, 1/4 inches in diameter, through the sides near the top edge of the nest box for ventilation.

6. Center the partially assembled birdhouse against the back piece. The back extends above and below the nest box, making it easier to mount the finished birdhouse to a tree or post. Add the roof, allowing the front section of the roof to overhang the front of the nest box, protecting the entrance hole from the weather.

7. Add an entrance guard over the entrance hole to help protect the birds from predators. Cut a square piece of wood slightly larger than the entrance, drill a 1-1/4 inch hole through the center to match the entrance hole in the front piece, and attach the guard over the entrance hole. Mount the entrance guard on a bias to form a diamond shape that is functional and visually appealing. The double thickness of the front piece plus the thickness of the entrance guard makes it harder for predators such as raccoons to reach into the nest box.

8. Use a small hinge to attach the bottom piece to the back piece. Secure the bottom in the closed position by driving a weather-resistant screw through the front piece and into the bottom. The hinged bottom allows easy access to clean the nest box after the breeding season.

Tips & Warnings

• Make two or more birdhouses, and mount them at least 25 feet apart to reduce competition for nesting sites.

• Use bird-safe wood to make the birdhouse. Do not use treated lumber, which might harm the birds.

References

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Nest Watcher's Resource Center -- Quick Nest Box Dimensions
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Nest Watcher's Resource Center -- Features of a Good Nest Box