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How to Identify Deep Cavity Bird Nester Nests

Cavity nests are used by quite a few different bird species around the word. Some birds construct their own cavity nests, while others use natural cavities or cavities left over by other birds (secondary cavity nesters). Some of the common cavity nesters include woodpeckers, owls, parrots, some waterfowl, and many of the passerines. In addition, some types of wren, nuthatches, sparrows, chickadees, and swallows use cavity nests. Is it easy to identify a cavity nest in the wild, but it's a little more tricky to identify which cavity nester it is.

Things You'll Need

Field guide to wild birds in your area

Instructions

Identifying a Cavity Nest in your Birdbox
- 1
  Examine the eggs and the nest. As there are many different cavity nesters, the best way to know whether you have one in your bird box is to examine the eggs and the nest itself. If you find sparrow, bluebird, swallow, woodpecker, or wren eggs, you have a cavity nester. Refer to your bird guide to identify the eggs.
- 2
  Determine if the birds are invasive species. Many birders do not wish to allow nonnative nesters in their bird boxes. Some nonnative cavity nesters include the Eurasian tree sparrow, house sparrow and European starling. It is generally recommended that you remove these nests to make way for one of the native species.
- 3
  Look for signs of non-avian intruders. Some cavity nesters are not birds at all. Your box may contain flying, gray or red squirrels, or mice. You can identify these by the presence of acorns and the lack of birds' eggs.
Identifying A Cavity Nester In the Wild
- 4
  Look for cavity nests in trees or cacti.
- 5
  Search for owls, woodpeckers, or wood ducks perching around the area; if you see them, you are near some cavity nests. These nests tend to be quite high up; usually 10 feet up. Some owls' nests are built as high as 30 feet.
- 6
  Look for nests much lower in the tree if you're looking for bluebirds, chickadees, or wren. These nests will be around 3 to 6 feet off the ground for most bluebirds, and under 10 feet for most wren and chickadees.

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