Building a Birdhouse for the Eastern Bluebird

The eastern bluebirds, similar to their close relative the western bluebird, are cavity nesters. Their natural nests are mostly located in tree cavities especially those that have been occupied previously woodpeckers. In southern Ontario, Canada for instance, the eastern bluebirds breed throughout the province in habitats like forest clear buts, forest fire burn areas, agricultural areas near urban centers, fallow fields, grazed pastures, fruit orchards or almost any open area
so long as there are available nest cavities and short grasses.

Several times have the bluebirds encountered challenging situations that threatened their population. Some of these were the removal of dead and hollow trees as well as tree limbs, removal of old and diseased orchard trees and the introduction of the European starlings and House sparrows that led to a stiff competition for nesting sites.

If you’re a bird and nature lover who wants to provide a bright future for the eastern bluebirds, you can do your share by providing nest boxes or birdhouses for them in your backyard. Similar efforts have been made for many years now and the results were very positive in that bluebird populations went up.

Eastern bluebirds are also known to be semi-colonial nesters. In other words, they really don’t mind nesting in places where other bluebirds have previously settled. These colorful birds are a favorite of many people and their appearance usually signals the start of spring after a long winter.