Bird Houses

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How Do You Choose a Birdhouse for Your Yard?

Birdhouses are a great way to add beauty, life, and nature to your garden. eBay birdhouses offer you a range of styles and types to choose from. Think about the types of birds you like to discover which houses to buy.

What kinds of birds might move into your birdhouse?

Common birds that will nest in houses in the U.S. include chickadees, tree swallows, bluebirds, and house wrens. Specialized houses that are properly placed attract purple martins, nuthatches, titmice, woodpeckers, wood ducks, and screech owls. Among the birdhouses for sale are designs that meet the needs of any of these birds.

What size birdhouse should you get?

Birds are choosy when selecting their homes. If you want to attract a specific bird, make sure the hole is the right size so the bird can enter and predators cannot. Many birds also want the hole to be a certain distance from the ground. For example, Eastern Bluebirds like their homes to be 4 by 4 inches to 5 by 5 inches with 1 ½ inch round entry holes. Chickadees and wrens prefer smaller holes.

What kinds of materials are birdhouses for sale made from?

Make sure your birdhouse is made of non-toxic ingredients. It should also be sturdy and able to withstand the weather for all four seasons.

  • Wood – Pine and spruce are premier woods for birdhouses. Hardwoods are good as well if they are sealed with non-toxic materials. Cedar is rot-resistant, making a long-lasting house. However, cedar may need some time to release its aromatic oil so a bird can move in.
  • Metal – Metal birdhouses can heat up, so place these in a shaded area to avoid direct sunlight.
  • Ceramics, plastics, gourds, glass – You can find specialty birdhouses made from almost any material when you search for a birdhouse for sale on eBay. Check the types of birds you want to attract to see if they match well.
What features should you look for in a new or used birdhouse for sale?
  • Hanging – Most birds like to make their nest in a sheltered place. A hanging house is great for snuggling into shrubbery or protective tree.
  • Standing – Standing birdhouses will give you more options on where you can place it. Remember that shelter attracts birds. Birds also do not like living very near to where food attracts other birds.
  • Access for cleaning – You will find a house with at least one side that opens for cleaning most useful.
  • Multiple bird – Purple Martins are the only species in the US that like to nest in large groups. There are large birdhouses on eBay to meet their needs. They are gorgeous groups of birds and fun to watch.
Once you have a house, how do you get birds to move in?

It may take a while, but eventually, even cheap birdhouses attract birds. Birds are more likely to choose your houses if you have other features they would want to be close to, but make sure they aren't too close. They like a feeder; someplace to get water; especially if it doesn’t freeze in winter; and a shrub to perch in and feel protected. You can also add bonuses like a suet feeder or native plants.

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