Simplest Bird House that We Can All Learn to Make

make simple bird house

Birds in densely populated urban areas are often seen as a nuisance or associated with the mess that they create. The nightmare these birds create for the parking managers who are answerable to the car owners is understandable. One such parking manager at an under-the-flyover parking lot opposite the River Ganga at Haridwar decided to take the matter in his hands. The outcome was an ingenious, easy-to-make bird house made from a simple waste-carton box.

He placed these boxes by nailing them to the wall (by using a piece of wood) at strategic places in the parking lot. He then enticed and allured the birds with food. This resulted in birds not creating nests everywhere and choosing to reside in strategic places. We can also make this easy to make carton bird house which will help us and the birds. Let us first understand the importance of having bird houses at our homes.

Why Make Bird Houses?

Bird houses are also called nesting boxes; they provide a haven for birds to build their nests, away from the predators. Research has suggested that people living in neighbourhoods with more birds, shrubs and trees are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and stress. Birds can help us in many ways in our backyard gardens or our small gardens in balconies or rooftops. These include:

  • Controlling pests: Since birds eat insects, they can help us in eliminating unwanted pests in our gardens. We need not use harmful pesticides to control them.
  • Controlling weeds: The same can be said for weed control too. Birds like sparrows, blackbirds, jays or finches are seed-eaters. They consume endless quantities of undesirable weed seedlings pretty fast.
  • Flower pollination:  There are many birds who love to sip nectar from flowers and help in pollinating the flowers in our gardens.
  • Stress Relief: Watching and listening to birds, and taking the time to work on our gardens can help us relieve stress and promote our overall well-being. Time spent outdoors can ensure that we have an adequate supply of Vitamin D and that we are detoxifying our bodies with fresh air.
  • Wildlife Conservation: As bird habitats are becoming threatened, attracting birds provides a critical oasis for bird and wildlife conservation, both for local species and migrating birds. This in turn helps in preserving the birds in our urban ecosystem and in the biosphere.

How to Make Simple Bird House at Home

Now that we have established the benefits of a bird house, let us learn the steps of making a simple bird house. The simplest bird house is the one found along River Ganga in Haridwar, as made by the parking manager there!

  • We first need a carton box of any size, preferably greater than 2 feet x 2 feet.
  • Cut a small circle in the carton, about 10 cm in diameter towards the bottom of the box.
  • Use a divider, scale and pencil to mark the perimeter of the circle before making the cut, for precision.
  • The circle can be cut using a paper knife cutter or a thick scissor. This should be done carefully, focusing more on accuracy and not speed.
  • The entrance for the bird is now ready. Seal the top half of the carton box with tape.
  • Voila! Our bird house is ready.

It is so basic, nothing fancy or expensive and yet so effective!

Building a bird house gives one satisfaction of knowing that we have created something that is helping maintain the balance of nature. This is a small way in which we can indirectly contribute to the conservation of birds. Sometimes, it is the little things which make the biggest difference.

Top image by Dr. Govind Singh.

Pritam Kumar Padhi

Pritam K. Padhi holds a master's degree in Management and Economics of Innovation from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering.

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