Birds That Nest in Boxes

Many birds and animals build nests in natural cavities and they will also nest in man-made boxes. The most popular one that uses birdhouses is the Bluebird. But several others will readily use a house. They include Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Wrens, Swallows, Prothonotary Warblers, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Great Crested Flycatchers, Owls and Wood Ducks.

Some animals like flying squirrels, tree squirrels, bats, bumblebees, tree frogs and others will also make homes in boxes. We have included photographs of the various cavity nesting birds and animals, as well as information about each. We hope you enjoy your visit here. And that it will encourage you to erect housing for our feathered friends.

Many of the photos seen here can be purchased in Naturegirl7's Zazzle Shop as print-on-demand products such as posters, cards, apparel, mugs, etc.

Many different species of cavity nesting feathered friends and animals (depending on where you live) will take advantage of the prime nesting sites that well built houses provide. The size of the hole and the dimensions of the box determines which bird or creature will use it. Below is a list of most of the creatures in Louisiana that nest in man made houses.

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Eastern Bluebird - medium sized thrush with a bright blue back, reddish brown throat and breast with a white belly. Females are more blue gray.Mountain Bluebird - 7.25" long, male is solid blue, female is gray with pale blue wing and tail feathers. Breed in the Western part of North America.

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Western Bluebird - 7" long, look very similar to Eastern Bluebird, except male has red extending to its back. Breed in the Western U.S. and just into Canada.Purple Martin - 8" long, male is uniformly bluish-black, female is bluish gray above and dingy gray-brown below. Breed mostly in Eastern North America, with some pockets in the west.Tree Swallow - 5.75" long, male has a blue-green back and white breast, female is gray-brown above and white below. Nests all over North America, except the lower southern states.Barn Swallow - 6.75" long, male and female have dark blue-black uppersides, male has more white underside, where female's is orange. Nests all over North America except extreme northern Canada.

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Violet-green Swallow - 5.25" long, males have multi-colored uppersides with emerald green backs, females are a drab greenish gray upper with white underside. Nests in the western United States.

This birdcam will allow your to photograph feeders and houses automatically, day or night.

One of the best books about cavity nests that I have read. If you want to put up some houses, you need to read this book.

Black-capped Chickadee - 5.25" long, male and female are identical. Permanent resident in Northern North America.Carolina Chickadee - 4.75" long, male and female are identical. Permanent resident in the Southeastern United States.

Tufted Titmouse - 6.5" long, male and female are identical. Permanent resident of the Eastern United States.

An excellent song identification guide and cd from one of the tops in the field.

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Carolina Wren - 5.5" long, male and female are identical. Permanent resident of the Eastern United States.House Wren - 4.75" long, male and female are identical. Nests in most of North America except the lower southern states.

Prothonotary Warbler - 5.5" long, male is golden yellow with blue-gray wings, female is similar, but more dull. Nests in the Eastern United States and Southern Canada.

Great Crested Flycatcher - 8.75" long, male and female are identical. Nests in the Eastern United States and southeastern Canada.Ash-throated Flycatcher - 8.5" long, male and female are identical. Nests in the Western United States.

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 9.25" long, male and female alike, except female has no red on top of head. Uses nest boxes infrequently, mostly as winter roosts.

Brown-headed Nuthatch - 4.5" long, male and female nearly identical. A southern bird that will nest in boxes and often has a third family member that helps.

Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4.5" long, male and female almost identical. It nests in the northern forests and winters in the milder regions of the central and eastern U.S.

White-breasted Nuthatch - 5.75" long, male and female alike. It is a permanent resident in most of the U.S. except the south.

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Wood Duck - 18.5" long, male is very colorful with green, rusty red and gold. Female is brown with white around the eye. They readily nest in large houses placed near water.

Bufflehead Duck - 13.5" long, male and female similar. Breeds in Canada.Goldeneye Duck - 18.5" long, female is more brown. Breeds in Canada.

Hooded Merganser - 18" long, male is striking black and white and rust, female is shades of brown. Nests in Southern Canada and Northeastern U.S.

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American Kestrel - 9" long, male has gray wings and is more colorful. Nests in most of North America except extreme southern LA and TX.

Screech Owl - Both Eastern and Western are 8.5" long, male and female and Eastern and Western are almost identical with the Eastern being a little more brown. Ranges overlap some. They are permanent residents in almost the entire contiguous U.S.Northern

Saw-whet Owl - 8" long, male and female similar. Breeds in Canada and extreme northern U.S.

Barn Owl - 16" long, male and female identical. Permanent resident in much of North America.

Audubon NABB approved houses are made with the correct dimensions for bluebirds and other small cavity nesting birds. They also have a door for monitoring and cleaning.

Several other animals in our habitat like to nest in man made boxes. The most common is the flying squirrel. Since we have many of our houses in wooded habitat, we frequently encounter this small nocturnal squirrel with the wing-like folds.

Queen Bumblebees often use one of the boxes to make a nest in fall. She winters over in this nest with her honey pots. In spring she lays a few eggs that hatch into workers which go out to collect nectar and to build the population up. Bumblebees are native bees that aid in pollinating our fruits and vegetables.

Gray and Green Tree frogs seem to really like rough wood boxes and other man made buildings. We find one in a house almost every year.

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Flying Squirrels

Other Squirrels

Mice

Rats

Bats

Bumblebees

Wasps

Honeybees

Tree Frogs

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We are blessed with several pairs of this lovely, golden yellow bird. Numbers have decreased in many areas due to habitat destruction, but here in southeastern Louisiana, they come back each year to nest in the boxes that we put up as well as in natural cavities in the wetland areas. We are proud that our efforts are paying off for this lovely uncommon species.

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Green Tree frogs seem to prefer the pipe that the house is mounted on. We often find them sleeping in pipes or clinging to plant stems. We are happy to see them, wherever they choose to live. This Louisiana state symbol is also a member of the natural pest control squad.