This article offers ready help to persons dealing with issues, such as keeping sparrows out of birdhouses.

We’ve provided comprehensive information on how to regain control of your birdhouse by making it more favorable to targeted or native bird species.

With that said, let’s proceed to our discussion.

How to Keep Sparrows Out of BlueBird House

You may be interested in keeping native bird species as a bird lover. While that isn’t a problem, you may face specific challenges that include dealing with invasive bird species like the house sparrow.

This can be problematic for many, especially when they don’t know how to deal with or keep sparrows out of birdhouses.

Why Keep Sparrows Out Of Birdhouses

When it comes to nesting habits, there tends to be a head-to-head competition between different bird species.

Compared to other species, house sparrows tend to easily out-compete other native species for suitable nesting sites. Such competition can sometimes be vicious.

Not only will house sparrows evict nesting birds, but they’re also known to kill nestlings, destroy eggs, and even kill the incubating female. What more?

An added problem associated with sparrow nesting is that they can remain throughout the year.

With such aggressive and long-term nesting behavior, it’s clear that other native bird species that arrive later on stand no chance of finding suitable nesting.

This reality defeats the purpose of birdhouses placed to attract these other native bird species.

To make the problem worse, house sparrows are prolific breeders. About four broods are raised per season.

This is significantly higher than native bird species like bluebirds, wrens, and swallows that raise only one or two broods per season.

With this reality, it’s clear that intervention is needed to keep out sparrows from birdhouses. Luckily, there are multiple ways to do that. The results derived depend on how well these procedures are implemented.

Plus, specific techniques may prove more effective than others.

Keeping Sparrows Out of Birdhouses

To successfully keep sparrows out of birdhouses, you’ll need an understanding of the preferred habitats of these pest birds. Also, knowledge of their habits is crucial.

Equally important is the need to get access to cutting-edge bird deterrent systems. Of course, such systems require proper deployment too.

Working with professionals is the first step toward keeping sparrows out of birdhouses. Pest control companies offer services, including bird removal and prevention.

To find out what’s needed, you’ll need to carry out online research on pest companies near you offering such service.

By contacting these services, an inspection visit is scheduled where the birdhouse is examined. Suitable removal & preventive measures are decided on.

Other tips on keeping sparrows out of birdhouses include adopting scare techniques, regular monitoring of nest boxes, and going for a smaller nest box.

More house sparrow preventive tips include avoiding cheap bird food, making modifications to water features, and proper positioning of the nest box. Also, consider adopting an all-year-round preventative approach.

Shooting these bird species may help with control.

i. Adopt Scare Techniques

One of the ways to deal with sparrow problems in birdhouses is by considering the scare tactics.

People have given positive feedback on how this method helped house sparrow control. Now, there are multiple ways through which the scare technique can be deployed.

These include using electronic sparrow distress sounds, installing motion-activated sprinklers, installing a natural predator decoy kit, and using reflective house sparrow deterrents.

Now the use of these strategies may come with unintended consequences.

You may end up scaring native bird species as well. The best way to prevent such is by paying close attention to nesting seasons. Only use when native bird species aren’t around.

House sparrows nest all year round, so it will be good to scare them when the others aren’t around.

ii. Regularly Monitor Nest Boxes

You’ll need to regularly monitor your nest boxes to prevent invasive bird species like sparrows.

Every birdhouse around your property will need to be monitored. You can either visually identify these birds or assess the plumage left behind. Binoculars will help with monitoring.

Of course, you’ll need to get rid of nests when it’s confirmed that sparrows are present in your birdhouse.

iii. Go for Smaller Nest Boxes

Another way that could be effective in controlling sparrows is by going for more miniature birdhouses.

By shrinking these, you’re effectively excluding house sparrows as they tend to be more extensive than native bird species like bluebirds.

However, this may also exclude larger native bird species from nesting.

iv. Avoid Cheap Bird Food

How does cheap food help keep out sparrows from birdhouses?

In more ways than you could imagine! Sparrows prefer cheap bird foods, including bread, cracked corn, sunflower kernels, millet, black oil sunflower seeds, and other affordable grain-based products.

v. Making Modifications to Water Features

Changes to water features like bird baths around your home can go a long way to keep sparrows out of birdhouses.

In a nutshell, you want to make your backyard less appealing to these invasive bird species. By making modifications like rocks, hanging drink stations, or drippers, larger bird species like sparrows find it uninviting.

vi. Proper Positioning of Nest Box

For sparrows to be deterred from a birdhouse, you’ll have to consider how well it’s positioned.

Consider placing the birdhouse in an open area to better help with visibility. Predator species like sparrows have no cover, thus protecting native birds.

vii. Adopt All-Year-Round Preventive Approach

If you must effectively keep sparrows out of your birdhouse, you’ll need to adopt an all-year-round approach to prevention. Remember that these invasive birds nest year-round, hence the need to check to avoid being overwhelmed frequently.

Taking down or closing your birdhouses in winter will ensure house sparrows don’t establish their nesting sites before other native bird species.

Of course, these birdhouses will need to be replaced when it’s nesting season for native bird species.

These are creative ways to keep sparrows out of birdhouses. We’ve included multiple techniques that have been proven to work. While that is true, you might have some difficulty getting desired results.

This is especially true when proper procedures aren’t followed. Consider taking the professional route as it tends to give the most results.

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