Any Backyard Birder Can Become A Bluebird Landlord

My Bluebirds
Photo/BW

Bluebirds are highly desirable backyard residents with their attractive plumage, insectivorous diets and melodious songs, and with the right bluebird house positioned properly to attract tenants, any backyard birder can become a bluebird landlord.

Why Bluebirds Need Houses

All bluebirds are cavity-nesting species, and they need safe, secure locations to raise their broods. Unfortunately, they are not prone to assertive behavior, and more aggressive species can easily drive bluebirds out of prime nesting spaces. European starlings and house sparrows, both invasive species, are particularly apt to usurp nesting cavities, evicting and even injuring or killing bluebirds in the process. Bluebirds may also be subject to brood parasitism from brown-headed cowbirds, and young cowbird chicks can smother bluebird hatchlings and keep them from getting sufficient food and care. Continuing development, particularly in the eastern bluebird's range, has removed many natural cavities these birds need for successful nests, making proper bird houses even more critical.

My Bluebird
Photo BW

Tips for Bluebird Houses

Bluebirds can be wary and may take a few seasons to become accustomed to a house and choose it for a nesting site. If no bluebirds are showing an interest in your house…

• Leave the house unpainted or choose a light tan, natural shade. Do not paint the interior or on the entrance rim, where paint chips could endanger hatchlings.
   
• Provide grass clippings, pine needles, small twigs and similar nesting materials nearby for easy nest construction.
   
• Remove any perches that could serve as handholds for opportunistic predators. If desired, carve a few striations beneath the entrance hole to provide a better grip for talons.
   
• Avoid nearby insecticide use and consider offering mealworms or suet (crumbles, shreds or other small chunks) for adults to use as a quick, easy food source for a hungry brood.
   
• Clean the bird house after each brood to encourage the adults to raise an additional brood in the same location, which will further cement their attachment to the site.
   
• Make the habitat more attractive to bluebirds with a nearby bird bath large enough to accommodate several guests.

While it may take some time before bluebirds begin to use a specific house, they can be loyal residents and will return year after year to raise new families in the same bird house, making it a rewarding and enjoyable experience to become a bluebird landlord.

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