Nesting Habitat and Birdhouse Requirements

Species | Nesting Habitat | Box Height | Hole Size
Eastern Bluebird | open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; Mountain and Western bluebirds will also use deciduous and coniferous forest edges; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west facing directions | 3-6 feet | 1 1/2" diameter
Western Bluebird | 1 1/2" diameter
Mountain Bluebird | 1 9/16" diameter
American Kestrel | pastures, fields, meadows, or orchards with mowed or grazed vegetation; place boxes on lone trees in fields, on trees along edges of woodlots, and on farm buildings | 10-30 feet | 3" diameter
Wood Duck | forested wetlands or near marshes, swamps, and beaver ponds; place boxes in deciduous trees, 30-100 feet from the nearest water, spaced 600 feet apart | 6-30 feet | 4" wide, 3" high
Eastern Screech Owl | forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, wooded stream edges, under a tree limb. Add 2"-3" of wood shavings | 10-30 feet | 3" round north facing;
Western Screech Owl | lower elevations, forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, deserts, wooded stream edges, under a tree limb. Add 2"-3" of wood shavings | 10-30 feet | 3" round; north facing
Great Crested Flycatcher | deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, forest edges, woodlots, orchards, parks, on post or tree at forest edge | 3-20 feet | 1 1/4" round
Northern Flicker | pastures, groves, woodlots, orchards, fields, meadows, woodland clearings, forest edges, urban parks, on pole or tree at forest edge or along fence rows bordering crop fields; box should be completely filled with wood chips or shavings | 6-30 feet | 2 1/2" round; southeast facing
Tree Swallow | open fields near water, expansive open areas, marshes, meadows, wooded swamps; on a post in open areas near tree or fence, 30-100 feet apart | 5-15 feet | 1 3/8" round east facing
Violet-green Swallow | open or broken deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, wooded canyons, edges of dense forest | 9-15 feet | 1 3/8" round
Purple Martin | broad open areas (meadows, fields, farmland, swamps, ponds, lakes, rivers) with unobstructed space for foraging on flying insects; there should be no trees or buildings within 40 feet of the martin pole in any direction; houses should be painted white | 10-15 feet | 2 1/8" round
Tufted Titmouse | deciduous forest, thick timber stands, woodland clearings, forest edges, woodlots, riparian and mesquite habitats; spaced one box per 8 acres, hole should face away from prevailing wind | 5-15 feet | 1 1/4" round
Black-capped Chickadee | forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight, spaced one box per 10 acres, hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box | 5-15 feet | 1 1/8" round
Carolina Chickadee | forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight, hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box | 5-15 feet | 1 1/8" round
Mountain Chickadee | coniferous forests, forest edges, woodland clearings; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box | 5-15 feet | 1 1/8" round
Chestnut-backed Chickadee | coniferous forests, mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, forest edges, woodlands, thickets, burned areas, often near streams; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box | 5-15 feet | 1 1/8" round
White-breasted Nuthatch | deciduous woodlands, mature forests, woodlots, near open areas, forest edges, orchards, often near water; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box | 5-20 feet | 1 3/8" round
Red-breasted Nuthatch | mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, shrub lands, swamps, farmlands, suburban parks; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box | 5-15 feet | 1 1/4" round
House Wren | variety of habitats, farmland, openings, open forests, forest edges, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubs | 5-10 feet | 1 1/4" round
Carolina Wren | forests with thick underbrush, forest edges, woodland clearings, open forests, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubs | 5-10 feet | 1 1/2" round
Prothonotary Warbler | lowland hardwood forests subject to flooding, stagnant water, swamps, ponds, marshes, streams, flooded river valleys, wet bottomlands; box should be over or near water Milk Carton Nest Box Plan | 2-12 feet | 1 1/4" round
Hooded Merganser | quiet, shallow, clear water pools surrounded by or near the edge of deciduous woods: small forest pools, ponds, swamps; add 3" of wood shavings; add ladder under inside of entrance hole for young to climb out | 6-25 feet | 3" high by 4" wide horizontal oval
Ash-throated Flycatcher | chaparral, mesquite thickets, oak scrub, dry plains spotted with trees or cacti, deserts, and open deciduous and riparian woodlands | 3-20 feet | 1 3/4" round
Brown-headed Nuthatch | open stands of pine-hardwood forests, clearings scattered with dead trees, forest edges, burned areas, cypress swamps | 5-20 feet | 1 1/4" round