A nest box, nestbox or birdhouse) is a man-made box provided for animals to nest in. Nest boxes are most frequently utilized for wild and domesticated birds, but some mammal species may also use them.

Construction

Nest boxes are usually wooden, though some for birds are made from a mixture of wood and concrete, called woodcrete. Metal nest boxes are also marketed, but these are generally unsuitable for outdoor use, as they can overheat easily in sunshine.

The majority are cuboid, and many have a sloping roof. Many have a hinged top, side or front to provide access for cleaning, bird ringing or, when used for domesticated species, to give the breeder access to the young. Boxes may either have an entrance hole or be open-fronted. Some nest boxes can be highly decorated and complex, sometimes mimicking human houses or other structures. Nest boxes may also contain nest box cameras so that use of, and activity within, the box can be monitored.

Birds

Different sizes of nest-box suit different species of birds with very small boxes attracting wrens and treecreepers and very large ones attracting ducks and owls. The maintenance of nest-boxes to remove old nest material and any parasites is important if they are to be successfully re-used. Blue Tits, Great Tits and Tree Sparrows have been shown to prefer woodcrete boxes to wooden. Birds nesting in woodcrete sites had earlier clutches, a shorter incubation period, and more reproductive success, perhaps because the synthetic nests were warmer than their wooden counterparts.

Bats

Bat boxes differ from bird nest-boxes in having a (usually) much smaller opening, often on the underside of the box. Populations of many bat species are becoming threatened because of ecological pressures and the provision of appropriate bat-boxes can help support locally important populations. Bats are a means of natural mosquito and insect control in some parts of the world. A single bat can eat 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes a night as well as other insect pests. Directions for making the open bottom bat houses for small and large colonies, as well as locations to purchase them are available on the internet. Bat houses are an ecologically friendly way of controlling mosquitoes as pesticides mostly kill the mosquitoes' predators rather than mosquitoes. Australian Bat Box projects have been running for over 12 years in particular at the Organ Pipes National Park. Currently there are 42 roost boxes using the "Stebbings Design" which have peaked at 280 bats roosting in them. The biggest problem with roosting boxes of any kind is the ongoing maintenance; problems include boxes falling down, wood deteriorating and pest such as ants, the occasional rat, possums and spiders.

Other creatures

Nest boxes are marketed not only for birds and bats, but also for other mammals, especially arboreal ones such as squirrels and opossums. Depending on the animal, these boxes are used for roosting, breeding, or both.

It should be noted that wasps may build their nests inside a nest box.

References

External links

• Nest box page from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
• Nest box plans: bluebirds, purple martins and others.
• How to build a nest box.
• Birds Australia Information Sheet 5: Nestboxes for Natives PDF download