Bird House--the Right One for Your Birds

Providing and inviting bird house has its rewards. The songs and antics of birds can be very entertaining and rewarding. Having birds as welcomed visitors, also, helps keep the pest population down. This can be very rewarding for the avid gardener. Below, are some tips for finding a bird house suitable to feathered visitors?

GENERAL TIPS:

* Generally speaking, bird houses should be made from wood. The best metal for bird houses is aluminum. But, if a bird house is constructed from metal, it should be hung in a shady place since metal absorbs sunlight, making the inhabitance too hot for birds.
* Bird houses with perches at the entrance should be avoided. Perches attract predators such as larger birds, cats and squirrels.
* The practical bird house should have holes for drainage in the bottom to keep rainwater from collecting. The top of the bird house should, also, have some small holes to aid in ventilation. An overhang over the entrance will help keep the entrance cool and inviting.
* A bird house should be, also, practical in the sense of cleanliness. Bird houses with roofs or fronts that flip down or can be removed give the cleaning crew easy access for cleaning the insides of the bird house. The bird house should be cleaned, thoroughly, on an annual basis to remove old nesting materials in preparation for inhabitants for the following year.
* Bird entrances should be near the top of the house and proportionate to the size of the species which is to inhabit it.
* Subdued colors are best for the bird house except for those placed in direct light. Those that are in direct light should be white in color.