During the winter, check your nest boxes and make sure that house sparrows aren't roosting there. Check out the other articles below. Required fields are marked *. They are an aggressive, introduced, non-native species that will be persistent at taking over your bluebird house and, if needed, will kill adult bluebirds as well as nestlings. Its is generally agreed upon that removing a house sparrow nest is the best course of action. Ready to purchase a bluebird nesting box? The problem is, house sparrows are also invasive birds that disrupt other bird species in many areas. The magic of the sparrow-spooker is that, while it will deter sparrows from entering the nest box, because the bluebirds are already so attached to the box because of their eggs, bluebirds will continue to use the box. House sparrows not only occupy empty bluebird nesting boxes, but they also storm occupied boxes, killing adult bluebirds and nestlings. Then, once the baby bluebirds have fledged, remove the spooker and clean out the nest box. White Plastic Bluebird House Proving Very Attractive to Bluebirds But Not to House Sparrows “I purchased four bluebird houses from you in early spring. Male sparrows can not block entrance and trap the female Bluebird during incubation. If you are having persistent problems with house sparrows using your bluebird houses, consider switching to a PVC-style Gilbertson nest box. A bluebird house should not be placed near houses, barns or dilapidated buildings, because these are the territories of house sparrows. Notice the peck marks on the head, beak, and either side of the spine. The Insert Trap above works well for Bluebird Houses and is one of the most popular types for protecting Bluebirds. In recent decades, native bluebirds have seen their numbers drop steeply due to competition and aggression from invasive non-native birds, particularly European Starlings and House Sparrows. If PVC boxes are paired with a wooden box, House If that’s something you’re interested in, check out the article I wrote titled “Sparrow-Resistant Bluebird Houses.” Here’s the link to that article. Then replace them, placating the adult house sparrows. Check out the other articles below. This is the best solution. A sparrow spooker is a device that has proven to be an extremely effective house sparrow deterrent when attached to a Bluebird nestbox after egg-laying has commenced. Save the cracked corn for the feed lot. Tough, adaptable, aggressive, it survives on city sidewalks … Learn more. Unwanted Residents: Many other cavity-nesting birds will take advantage of bluebird houses, including house sparrows, house wrens, black-capped chickadees, Carolina wrens, and tufted titmice. If you’re an avid bluebird landlord, you probably enjoy watching other birds as well. If you catch a house sparrow in a trap, you can place a plastic bag over the trap and the bird will fly into it. If you want to attract bluebirds, you will have to deal with House Sparrows (HOSP) if they are common in your area. How to make a slot box sparrow resistant. House sparrows also called english sparrows are aggressive birds that compete with bluebirds for nesting boxes or birdhouses. Very effective but time-consuming. Luckily, one of the boxes was successful and we had a beautiful pair of eastern bluebirds that year! They are especially hard on bluebirds. Although the bluebirds put up a fight, they lost 2 eggs. All of the aforementioned species are cavity nesters, meaning they build their nests in cavities, whether naturally occurring (in trees) or man-made (in nest boxes). House sparrows, on the other hand, love to nest near barns and houses, which is where they get the name house sparrow. Now, some people may not mind. Some traps are made for Bluebird houses and others work better for Purple Martin Housing. If you set up the sparrow-spooker too early, while bluebirds are still building their nest, you’ll probably spook them away too. Or, if you’re a DIY person, you can also build your own Gilbertson boxes out of wood and PVC pipe. House sparrows not only occupy empty bluebird nesting boxes, but they also storm occupied boxes, killing adult bluebirds and nestlings. The House Sparrow is a predator bird and needs to be taken very seriously. Go to the Sialis website for details. There are a number of house sparrow traps that can be used. If you are having House Sparrows taking over your nest box, try this approach < Monofilament Fishing Line.> House Sparrows will kill Bluebirds and their young. Troyer's Sparrow-resistant Bluebird House (#SRBH) Why the SRBH is sparrow-resistant: The slotted entrance lets in sunlight, sparrows want dark cavities, not bright ones. House sparrows can be a real nuisance when you are trying to attract and then hopefully have bluebirds nest in your box. You can build a sparrow-spooker yourself, or you can check out my Recommended Tools page here. If it is unable to fly it will be eaten by predators very soon. Every bird lover has the responsibility to not increase House Sparrow populations. So, wait until the bluebirds have laid their first egg to install the sparrow-spooker. Clean out your nest boxes in mid February. Bluebirds suffered considerable - almost unrecoverable - losses in the twentieth century as a result of the injudicious introductions of house (English) sparrows and European starlings to New York City - and ultimately America - in the 1800s, and the toxic toll DDT exacted on many songbirds and raptors for decades beginning in the 1940s. It cannot be understated how important it is to monitor your bluebird houses. So, in theory, there was plenty of room to attract a pair, or even two pairs of bluebirds. 5. You can easily purchase Gilbertson nest boxes online. Remove House Sparrow nests with eggs and destroy them. Also the nest tray takes cubic inches away from the cavity which also discourages sparrows. Once you have eggs and/or baby bluebirds in the nest box, the last thing you want is for house sparrows to enter and harm your bluebirds! House Sparrow Problems. The type of house being used will determine the trap type. The best way to keep house sparrows out of your bluebird houses is to make your environment as unattractive as possible to house sparrows. House sparrows not only occupy empty bluebird nesting boxes, but they also storm occupied boxes, killing adult bluebirds and nestlings. House sparrows will readily chase native bluebirds and other cavity nesters from their homes. Then, press on its breast bone and crush its lungs, which will kill it instanteously. And bluebirds did decline in the early 1900s when European starlings and house sparrows were getting established. Also, sparrows tend to avoid shallow homes so the Sparrow-Resistant Bluebird House was constructed to be only 5" deep and includes a wooden insert to adjust the depth to a mere 3-1/2". House Sparrows are the number one problem Blue-birders have. Replace House Sparrow eggs with wooden ones. For this reason, the 'decoy box' method is also effective. A house sparrow invades a bluebird box. One way you can tell what species has taken up residence in your nestbox is by checking the color of the eggs or the variety of nesting materials. As a result a few nest-box providers resort to extreme measures—killing house sparrows for the perceived crime of occupying nest boxes. Bluebird houses (hereafter called bluebird nest boxes) are also used by tree swallows, chickadees, house wrens, and house sparrows. However, beware of the fact that removing a nest will often agitate the male house sparrow, sometimes causing it to invade any bluebird nest it can find and go on a killing rampage. This way you'll prevent the multiplication of the house sparrow breed without putting your bluebirds in jeopardy. They were found underneath the box. Click here for an article I wrote that can help you identify house sparrow nests, 10 Steps to Become a Bluebird Landlord | Start Here.