Natural hobby gardeners have a big heart for the endangered bird world and hang up a nesting box. This laudable undertaking raises important questions about the direction of the compass, the height of the hanging or the location. You can find out how to hang a birdhouse correctly here.
How should a birdhouse be hung correctly?
When hanging a birdhouse, the entry hole should face east, northeast, southeast or north and be placed at a height of at least 1.5 to 2 meters. Attach to a tree or house wall, with a minimum distance of 3 to 10 meters between different birdhouses.
Hang up the birdhouse – which direction?
The orientation of the birdhouse plays a major role in ensuring that the feathered tenants actually move in. The entrance hole on the nesting box should point in this direction:
- Rule of thumb: Hang the bird house in a shady to semi-shady place, protected from rain, wind and sun
- Ideal orientation: East, Northeast, Southeast, North
- Wrong direction: West or South
Please take a compass (€4.00 on Amazon) to determine the recommended direction for a birdhouse. Moss on the tree is an uncertain indication because it does not always grow on the north side.
How high should a birdhouse be?
A hanging height of at least 1.5 to 2 meters guarantees that a birdhouse is safe from nest robbers. It is better if you adjust the height to the bird species in question. The following overview provides important framework data:
- Bird house for tits: hang 1.5 to 3.5 m high
- Half cave for robins or wrens: place 2.0 to 4.0 m high
- Starling box: hang 5 to 10 m high
If you hang a bird house at the appropriate height, please ensure that there is an approach path without obstacles.
Where and how can you hang a birdhouse?
Birds are not picky when looking for a place to live if the direction and hanging height are right. You can hang a bird house in the following locations:
- Premium location: old, big tree
- Alternative location: house wall (convenient in the corner of the wall, under the eaves)
- Optional hanging locations: garage, barn, silo, bridge, balcony
- Important: Do not hang the bird house above the entrance, seat, window
We recommend stainless aluminum nails and a covered wire hanger as fastening material to the tree. If you hang the birdhouse on a wall, screwed metal brackets are suitable.
How many nesting boxes can you hang?
A natural garden usually has enough food for different types of birds. By hanging up several birdhouses with species-specific hole sizes and construction, you can alleviate the housing shortage of all feathered garden residents. To ensure that tits, sparrows, starlings, robins and wrens don't get into each other's enclosure, the right distance is important. This is what you need to keep in mind when hanging multiple birdhouses:
- Birdhouses of the same design: minimum distance 5 to 10 m (e.g. for tits)
- Birdhouses of various designs: minimum distance 3 m (e.g. birdhouse with entry hole next to half-cave house)
These distance rules do not apply when hanging nest boxes for colony breeders. Swallows, sparrows, starlings and swifts prefer to breed in sociable neighborhoods.
Tip
The perfect birdhouse is ready to move in without inventory. Please avoid nesting material such as straw, leaves or sawdust. Mr. and Mrs. Meise or the Sperling couple prefer to take care of the furnishings themselves.
