04/27/2023
Will Hummingbirds Use a Birdhouse?
It’s always a delightful sight when a hummingbird zips around. If their bright colors and spunky personalities bring a smile to your face, you’ve probably wondered how to entice them to take up residence — or if a hummingbird birdhouse would convince these tiny birds to raise their babies in your yard.
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Unlike many other common backyard birds, hummingbirds avoid using birdhouses. The size of the box, the shape, or the color doesn’t make a difference. Thus, “hummingbird birdhouse” products sold in stores or online are unlikely to work.
Why, are your hummingbirds turning their beaks up at your nice, pretty birdhouses? It’s all about the type of nest they construct. Hummingbirds are biologically and evolutionarily programmed to build their cup-style nest, so the short answer as to why they don’t use birdhouses is that they are not what we call ‘cavity nesters.’
Hummingbirds tend to build their nests in the forks of branches, in fairly dense cover, well above the ground.
There isn’t a 100% guaranteed way to get a female hummingbird to build a nest in your yard. There are, however, a few things you can try to show your flying jewels your yard is an ideal habitat.
Hummingbirds have excellent memories, so if you make your yard a bountiful food source, with feeders and flowers, they might stick around and raise young.
