Birdhouses 20 guides

Birdhouses, nest boxes and bird baths

Nest boxes that suit real species: hole sizes, placement, cleaning and timing.

Buying guides

8 guides

American Robin bathing in a shallow pedestal bird bath in a sunny garden with shrubs behind (AI illustration)

Best Bird Bath: 6 Pedestal, Deck, Ground and Heated Picks

The best bird bath for most yards is a shallow, textured, frost-proof pedestal like the JCs Wildlife Poly Lumber bath. 6 picks, a depth chart and a checklist.

Plain unpainted wooden nest box on a metal pole with a cylinder baffle, an Eastern Bluebird perched on the roof above an open lawn (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Best Birdhouses: 6 Nest Boxes Birds Actually Use

The best birdhouses have the right hole size, vents, drainage, a clean-out door and no perch. See 6 researched picks for bluebirds, wrens, chickadees and owls.

Wooden nest box with a small solar panel on the roof mounted on a pole, a Tree Swallow perched at the round entrance hole in spring (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Birdhouse Camera: 6 Best Nest Box Cameras for 2026

A birdhouse camera lets you watch eggs hatch without opening the box. See 6 researched picks, built-in vs add-in, WiFi vs wired, and bird-safe night vision.

Plain wooden bluebird nest box on a metal pole with a stovepipe baffle, a male Eastern Bluebird perched on the roof at the edge of a mown field (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Bluebird House: 6 Best Nest Boxes That Meet NABS Standards

The best bluebird house has a 1.5 inch hole, vents, drainage, a side door and no perch. Compare 6 NABS-style boxes, from slot to Peterson and Gilbertson.

Small plain wooden nest box with a small round entrance hole mounted on a tree trunk, a Black-capped Chickadee clinging below the hole (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Chickadee House: 6 Best Nest Boxes and How to Size Them

The best chickadee house has a 1 1/8-inch hole, a floor near 4 to 5 1/2 inches, vents, drainage and no perch. Compare 6 boxes for chickadees, titmice and wrens.

Dark-eyed Juncos drinking from a heated pedestal bird bath with open water while snow covers the garden (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Heated Bird Bath: 6 Best Picks and De-Icers for Winter

The best heated bird bath for most yards is the Allied Precision 970: a 20-inch basin with a 150 W thermostat. 6 picks, a wattage chart and GFCI checklist.

White multi-room aluminum martin house and a rack of white nesting gourds on tall poles in an open lawn, with dark glossy purple martins perched on the porches (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Purple Martin House: 6 Best Houses, Gourds and Poles

The best purple martin house is one you can lower straight down for weekly checks. See 6 researched picks: aluminum houses, gourd racks, gourds and a pole.

Small solar fountain spraying a low arc of water in a shallow pedestal bird bath while an Eastern Bluebird perches on the rim (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Solar Bird Bath Fountain: 6 Best Picks for Moving Water

The best solar bird bath fountain for most yards is a floating 3.5W pump with battery backup. 6 picks, a sun-hours sizing chart and a clog-free cleaning plan.

How-to guides

12 guides

Barn Swallow perched on the rim of a mud nest cup fixed high on a wooden beam inside an open barn, three gaping chicks inside (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Barn Swallow Nest: Nest Cups, Ledges and Legal Rules

A barn swallow nest needs a sheltered ledge, wet mud nearby and all-day open access. Nest cups, droppings boards, return dates and the laws on removing nests.

A chickadee perched at the round entrance hole of a plain wooden nest box on a tree trunk (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Birdhouse Hole Sizes by Species: Chart in Inches and mm

Birdhouse hole sizes by species: 1-1/8 inches for chickadees and wrens, 1-1/2 for bluebirds, 2-1/2 for flickers. Full chart in inches and mm, plus tips.

A plain unpainted cedar nest box being assembled on a workbench, with a hole saw, screws and a square beside it (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

How to Build a Birdhouse From One 1x6 Board (Cut List)

How to build a birdhouse from one 1x6 board: cut list in inches and cm, hole sizes by species, vents, drainage, a hinged side for cleaning and safe mounting.

A shallow stone bird bath being scrubbed with a stiff brush, with a small songbird waiting on a nearby branch (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 12 min read

How to Clean a Bird Bath (Without Harming Birds)

How to clean a bird bath safely: change the water every 1 to 3 days, scrub weekly with a stiff brush, disinfect with 1:9 bleach when needed and rinse well.

A shallow bird bath with open water surrounded by snow, with a robin drinking at the edge (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

How to Keep a Bird Bath From Freezing in Winter

How to keep a bird bath from freezing: a thermostatic heater or heated bath on a GFCI outlet works best. Plus no-power methods, safety rules and what to avoid.

A wooden nest box on a metal pole with a cylindrical predator baffle, standing in an open garden (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

How to Mount a Birdhouse on a Pole, Tree or Wall

How to mount a birdhouse: a smooth metal pole with a predator baffle is safest, while trees and walls suit some species. Heights, direction and setup steps.

Plain wooden owl nest box mounted high on a mature oak trunk at the edge of a field, an Eastern Screech-Owl peering from the round entrance at dusk (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Owl Box Guide: Sizes and Placement for Barn and Screech Owls

An owl box works when it matches the owl: a 3-inch hole 10 to 30 feet up for screech-owls, a big 4.5-inch box on open land for Barn Owls. Sizes, height, timing.

Pale wooden swift nest box fixed under the eaves of a brick house, a Common Swift flying toward the narrow slot entrance against a blue summer sky (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 12 min read

Swift Nest Box: Sizes, Height and Chimney Swift Towers

A swift nest box works only at 16 ft (5 m) or higher under the eaves with a clear drop below. Sizes, entrance holes, call playback and chimney swift towers.

An open wooden nest box on a post with an old grass nest being lifted out by gloved hands in autumn light (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 12 min read

When and How to Clean Out a Birdhouse, Step by Step

When and how to clean out a birdhouse: remove old nests after young fledge and again in late fall or winter, scrub with hot water or dilute bleach, then dry it.

A bluebird perched on top of a wooden nest box on a post in a frosty late-winter meadow (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 12 min read

When to Put Up Birdhouses

When to put up birdhouses: by late winter, February in most of the US and Europe, so birds can find them before nesting. Timing by region, species and season.

A shallow stone bird bath in dappled shade on a lawn, with shrubs a few yards behind and birds bathing (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 12 min read

Where to Put a Bird Bath

Where to put a bird bath: in open, partly shaded ground 10 to 15 feet from shrubs, away from feeders and near a perch. Height, sun, safety and placement tips.

Plain wooden duck nest box on a metal pole standing in a quiet wooded pond, a cone-shaped metal guard below it and a female Wood Duck looking out of the oval entrance (AI illustration)

Birdhouses 13 min read

Wood Duck Box: Size, Placement, Guards and Best Boxes

A wood duck box needs a 4 x 3 inch oval hole, a 24-inch-deep box, wood shavings and a predator guard on a pole near water. Size, placement, cleaning and picks.

Birdhouses, nest boxes and bird baths give birds two things feeders cannot, a safe place to raise young and clean water, and this hub covers how to choose, size, place and maintain each one. The most important decision for any birdhouse is the entrance hole, because it decides which species can use it. Based on NestWatch and similar guidance, about 1 1/8 in (28 mm) suits chickadees and house wrens, and 1 1/2 in (38 mm) suits Eastern Bluebirds. A hole too large lets in house sparrows and starlings, which compete aggressively with native birds.

After size, look at build and placement. A good nest box is made of untreated wood about 3/4 in (19 mm) thick, has ventilation holes near the top, drainage holes in the floor, a side or front panel that opens for cleaning, and no perch below the hole, since native cavity nesters do not need one and it helps predators. Mount it on a pole with a predator guard rather than a fence post where cats and raccoons can reach it, and face the entrance away from prevailing winds. Put boxes up in late winter or early spring, before nesting starts in your area, and clean out old nests after the season ends.

For bird baths, shallow is better: aim for about 1 to 2 in (2.5 to 5 cm) of water with a rough surface for footing, and place it near cover but not beside a shrub where a cat can hide. Change the water every few days and scrub out algae. In cold regions, a heated bath or de-icer keeps water open when natural sources freeze. Start with the hole-size chart, then the mounting and timing guides.

Birdhouse hole sizes by species - a chart in inches and mm.
Best birdhouses - nest boxes birds actually use.
How to mount a birdhouse - pole, tree or wall, and predator guards.
When to put up birdhouses - timing by region and species.
Where to put a bird bath - placement that keeps birds safe.
How to keep a bird bath from freezing - winter water options.

More guides

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