Wren House - Information on Buying Or Building

The Wren House is one of the most common types of birdhouses in the backyard garden. Whether you're considering buying or building, the following information may be helpful to you.

Wrens are cavity nesting birds and will readily make use of man-made wren bird houses.

Provided that they are constructed to the correct height, width, and hole size dimensions.

Most birds prefer a natural looking nesting box.

Types of Wood Materials

If you plan on purchasing or building one, make sure that the wood used in constucting the house is a naturally decay resistant wood such as cedar, redwood, or exterior plywood.

Avoid purchasing any nesting box that is painted and do not use treated wood which contains copper arsenate. Although wood that is treated with copper arsenate is being fazed out. If you don't know, don't use it.

Diameter of Hole, Floor, Size

Wrens prefer a house that has an entry hole dimension of 1 1/8 inches, any larger and house sparrows and other less desirable birds will use them.

The floor should be 4 inches square and 3-6 inches below the entry hole.

Do not add or buy any birdhouse with a perch. The birds don't need it, whereas house sparrows and other less desireable birds will have easy access if perches are used.

The roof should be slightly slanted to shed water and keep the contents of the nest dry. For a more traditional style, the front and back can be cut as an A frame.

Each side should provide for ventilation. Drill 1/4 inch holes on the sides of the house just under the roof. Also make sure there is adaquate drainage in the bottom of the nesting box by drilling 1/4 inch holes in each corner of the bottom of the wren house.

The side or front should slide or swing open for easy cleaning. Of course we make it easy for you to follow these guidelines by providing a Wren House you can order securely from our website.

Placment of Wren House

Mount or hang the house six to ten feet high in or near a tree or shrub. House wrens seem to prefer areas with trees and shrubs. Fence rows and brushy draws are ideal. Bewick wrens seem to prefer more open countryside and frequent farmsteads more than urban lots.

Wrens eat a lot of insects and are easy to attract. You and your garden will appreciate having them around.

If you are interested in books with plans for building a wren house or any other birdhouse, visit our Partners at Duncraft

How To Attract More Birds

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Wren House

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