Nest box Facts for Kids

An Eastern bluebird near its nest box home

A nest box is a special home built by people for animals to live and raise their young in. You might also hear them called birdhouses or bird boxes when they are made for birds. But birds aren't the only ones who use them! Some mammals, like bats, also use these boxes. Placing nest boxes can help keep animal populations healthy in an area.

People have used nest boxes for a very long time, even since Roman times, to catch birds for food. But using them to help animals began in the mid-1700s. A naturalist named August von Berlepsch was the first to make and sell many nest boxes.

Today, nest boxes are more important than ever. Because of things like factories, growing cities, new buildings, and cutting down forests, animals are losing their natural homes. This makes it hard for them to find safe places to have babies. Nest boxes can really help prevent animals from disappearing. For example, they helped save scarlet macaws in the Amazon rainforest.

Building a Nest Box
Other Animals Using Nest Boxes
Images for kids
See also

Building a Nest Box

General Tips for Building

Most nest boxes are made from wood. However, some birds, like the purple martin, can even nest in metal boxes. Some boxes are made from a mix of wood and concrete, called woodcrete. Boxes made of ceramic or plastic are usually not good for animals.

A good nest box should use wood that hasn't been treated with chemicals. It needs a roof that hangs over and slopes down to keep rain out. The floor should be slightly set in, and there should be small holes for water to drain and for air to get in. It's also important to be able to open the box to clean it. Nest boxes should not have perches on the outside, as these can help predators reach the animals inside.

Boxes can have a small entrance hole or be open at the front. Some nest boxes are very fancy, looking like tiny human houses! You can even put special nest box cameras inside to watch the animals.

Building Bird Nest Boxes

The size of the opening on a bird nest box is very important. It decides which kinds of birds will use the box. Many small birds pick boxes with a hole just big enough for them to squeeze through. This helps keep bigger birds from getting in and bothering them.

For example, in Europe:

A 2.5 cm hole attracts Poecile palustris and Poecile montanus.
A 2.8 cm hole attracts Ficedula hypoleuca.
A 3 cm hole attracts Parus major and Passer montanus.
A 3.2 cm hole attracts Passer domesticus.

The overall size of the nest box also matters. Very small boxes are good for wrens and treecreepers. Bigger boxes can attract ducks and owls. It's important to clean out old nest material and bugs each season so birds can use the box again.

The material of the box can also make a difference. Sparrows seem to like woodcrete boxes more than wooden ones. Birds in woodcrete boxes laid eggs earlier and had more babies. This might be because woodcrete nests stay warmer.

Where you put the nest box is also key. Some birds, like birds of prey, like their boxes high up. Others, like ducks, prefer them low or even on the ground. The direction the box faces is important too. Many birds like their boxes to be out of direct sunlight and protected from the rain.

Building Bat Boxes

A typical bat box attached to a post

Bat boxes are usually built differently from bird boxes. They have a larger opening at the bottom. While they are called bat boxes, they serve the same purpose for bats raising their young. Some bat species that are in danger can be helped by placing bat boxes in the right spots. However, bats that live in leaves or large tree holes won't use these boxes.

Bat boxes are usually made of wood. There are many designs, some with one room and some with many. You can find instructions online to build them or find places to buy them. The color of the box and where it's placed are very important. Bat boxes that are too shady won't get warm enough to attract a maternity colony (a group of mother bats with their babies).

In Australia, bat box projects have been running for over 12 years in places like the Organ Pipes National Park. They have 42 special bat boxes, and at one point, 280 bats were living in them! The biggest challenge with any animal box is keeping it in good shape. Problems can include boxes falling down, wood getting old, and pests like ants, rats, possums, and spiders.

Other Animals Using Nest Boxes

Nest boxes are not just for birds and bats. You can also find boxes made for butterflies and other mammals. This includes animals that live in trees, like squirrels and opossums. Depending on the animal, these boxes might be used for sleeping, having babies, or even for hibernation (like butterflies do in winter).

Sometimes, wasps, bumble-bees, or other insects might build their nests inside a box meant for another animal. If this happens, the original animal might not be able to use the box.

Images for kids

A Great tit nesting in a nest box
Two wasp nests inside a nest box meant for boreal owls
A traditional nest box for Columba guinea in a home wall in Zerfenti (Ethiopia)
Birdhouses in Gramercy Park, New York City, showing different entrance hole sizes
A Nest Box at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum

Nest box facts for kids

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