How do birds know that bird houses are for them?
We tend to think that building bird houses is merely an inocent pastime for nature lovers. This is far from true, for man made bird homes are becoming more and more important in keeping the balance of nature. In fact, our government encourages us to do this. You can get a pamphlet called Bird Houses and How to Build Them by writing to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D. C.
As we lop down trees and clear forests for more living space, countless birds are driven from their ancestral nesting ground so Many of these birds devour insects and other pests that plague our crops and sensible timber growers are now placing artificial homes for the ousted birds. We should do this wherever possible in our parks and gardens. Aside from the value in the balance of nature, the little darlings are fascinating to watch as they go about their housekeeping and the rearing of their families.
The birds do not actually know that these man made homes are put there for them. When nesting time comes, they search around for likely places and if we provide them with what they think is a suitable building site, they are likely to use it.
It may take the birds time to discover these artificial nesting sites and more time for them to learn how to use them. But in an experiment in Germany, birds finally learned to use 900 of 1,000 bird houses that had been built for them.
Some people erect gee gaw type bird houses with the idea of adding eye catching decor to their gardens. They forget that bird houses should be for birds.
True, a few sparrows will use these fancy homes with painted porches and shuttered windows, but sparrows are not very choosy birds. Most birds will use only the artifical homes that look natural to them.
The more natural and rustic looking the bird house, the more likely it is to attract tenants. The wood should be rough with clinging bits of bark. There should be a small hole for ventilating under the roof and a small drainage hole in the floor. The round door should fit the birds you want to attract. Robins and barn swallows prefer roofed shelters with no front wall at all.
More than 30 different birds can be tempted to live in a bird house. All of them are fascinating to watch. What's more, woodpeckers devour borer insects, chickadees eat insect eggs, swallows eat mosquitoes, nuthatches eat caterpillars and in helping these bird: we are helping ourselves.