How to Make a Birdhouse Out of a Bottle Gourd

Bottle gourds make exellent homes for small birds like wrens.

Bottle gourds are easy to grow and their distinctive shapes make them a perfect base material for DIY birdhouses. Make a whole fleet of them to put in your yard or give away as gifts. Sell them at a fundraiser to support your project or group. They make great projects for children's parties as well.

Things You'll Need

• Bottle gourds
• Drill
• String or wire
• Paintbrushes
• Paint
• Polyurethane sealant

Instructions

1. Dry your gourds. Drill a hole straight through the narrow neck of each fruit, about one inch from the top. String twine or wire through the holes and hang the fruits by these strings in a dry, well-ventilated place for four weeks or until the seeds rattle freely inside. Do not let the gourds touch each other or anything else during this time.

2. Drill a door hole in the dried gourds. The hole should be one inch in diameter to attract wrens, 1-1/8 inches for chickadees and 2-1/4 inches for purple martins. Make the hole in the bulbous lower section of a gourd.

3. Remove the seeds and fibers from the gourds through the door hole. Drill two 1/4-inch holes for ventilation and drainage in the gourds 1-1/2 inches from the bottom.

4. Paint the outside of the gourds as desired. Seal with two coats of polyurethane.

5. Hang the finished gourds, once the sealant is dry, from trees at least six feet from the ground.

References

• Family Fun: Gourd Birdhouse
• University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Gourd Birdhouses