Est. 1998 — 28 years of woodworking knowledge
Anybody know a thing or two about Bird Houses?
Barry Irby
I made two little bird house "Kits" for my grand daughters so they can put them together and paint them. That lead to a request for a nicer one for Great Grandma. Now THAT lead to a request for a duplex one for Grandma.
So will birds live in a duplex? Any ideas or suggestions for a plan?
Re: Anybody know a thing or two about Bird Houses?
Bill Tindall, E.Tn.
So will birds live in a duplex?
most will not.
Every multi-hole birdhouse...
David Weaver
...I've ever seen is referred to as a "purple martin house".
I have to admit that I saw a lot of these on farms and never once looked to see if any had birds in it (and don't remember seeing them going in and out, but probably didn't care enough to remember, either).
If they are local to you and reading up on the internet finds them amenable to multi-unit dwellings, it's probably worth sizing things to them.
Re: Every multi-hole birdhouse...
Jim DeLaney, Austintown, Ohio
Around here (NE Ohio), the Purple Martin houses will fill up with sparrows - and sometimes doves if the entry hole is big enough. Both of them are around all year, and they'll be nesting before the Martins migrate in.
Re: Anybody know a thing or two about Bird Houses?
Hank Knight
Amazon has a bunch of birdhouse books.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+birdhouse+book&crid=9SHLAM0D69A0&sprefix=The+BIrdhgouse+Book%2Caps%2C164&ref=nb_sb_ss_sc_1_19
Re: Anybody know a thing or two about Bird Houses?
AlanWS
Here's a good source of info:
https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/#plans
Re: Anybody know a thing or two about Bird Houses?
William Duffield
A.J., who posts here, has written at least two books on birdhouses.
my second thought....
David Weaver
..but bill says I write too much, so I didn't write it 
Was that half of the bird houses I've ever seen occupied have invaders in, anyway (often sparrows). They're more aggressive and the only way I can think of to get rid of them is to turn their lights out permanently.
That kind of thing is frowned upon here in the burbs. Two birds my dad never had anything for......sparrows and starlings.
He used a word (still does ) that I don't find much in use now.
He calls them "common", which is his term for anything low quality that's to be disposed of.
Re: my second thought....
Wiley Horne
‘Common’ is an old time southernism too. For best effect sometimes said with a wrinkling of the nose.
Wiley
Yes! Plans specific to bird species.
Wiley Horne
Don’t believe duplex will work, except as David and Jim say, for English sparrows. They aren’t particular. The interior height, cross-section, and hole size are important for attracting particular species. As is height from ground. No exterior perch—just the hole—birds can latch on just fine without any peg or perch.
Only so much you can do though—if the woodpecker wants that box, he’ll make the hole the right size.
Wiley
Maybe bats???
Tom Dunlap
A bat house may be an option.
I looked at plans and they seem simple. There is plenty of online info about locating them too.
I'm a bit late to the party...
A.J. Hamler
...but can't resist the opportunity to talk about the birdies.
In North America, most typical cavity-nesters (birds that use birdhouses) are on the territorial side. Depends on species, but some will tolerate houses close together, some won't. Some -- I'm looking at you, house sparrows and starlings -- just don't seem to care one way or the other.
But there are a number of birds in N.A. that will nest together in communal broods. Most of these are coastal birds, which you see flocking together all the time. There are some other species here and there that will also do so. But as far as typical "backyard" birds go, you'll mostly see swallow species living communally. Among these, the most common by far is the purple martin.
You can build martin houses as "duplexes" as suggested up-topic, or as condos with literally any number of units. The only things you need to keep in mind if building house for martins is interior size and hole size they prefer. For martins, a floor size if 6"x6" and with a ceiling height of 6" is perfect. Purple martins like a large entry hole measuring anywhere from 1-3/4" to 2-1/4" in diameter, and like that hole to be fairly low on the box, say around 1"-2" above the floor.
I did a project for a modular version of a purple martin house a few years ago in one of my books, with each house a separate nest box that could be arranged and mounted any way you wanted.
You could do as few as two, or make a unit with a couple dozen.
Hope this helps.
A.J.
Re: Anybody know a thing or two about Bird Houses?
Larry Clinton At Frankfort, (Central) Indiana
When I was a young lad my neighbor had a Martin house on top of a telephone pole, about 15 foot in the air. The house had several separate compartments - guessing at least a dozen. The Martins filled the house, never seen any other bird species invade. I don't know why sparrows didn't invade - house design? height?
The Martins certainly were fun to watch as they caught insects in the air, probably one of the most agile birds in the air I have ever seen.
Re: I'm a bit late to the party...
james runchey
Folks back in the 30s and 40s used to make martin houses as replicas of their residences. Our previous house had one in the yard which the footprint, "L" shape, was exactly proportioned in the martin house. The hip roof was made of sheet metal soldered together. The whole thing was a work of art, mounted on a 4" dia steel pole.
I built a house back in the early sixties when you get clear redwood at a reasonable price. I bought a 20' 4 x 4 to mount the house on. It was not elaborate, just a small house with I believe 6 rooms.