Bird houses are a fun, humane way to interact with the birds that fly through your yard. Here's everything you need to know about bird houses.

Bird houses need a solid environment

Before you get all hyped up about installing bird houses in your backyard, you need to assess the area you plan on putting the houses in. The first rule of thumb is to find an area that is away from predators. Birds will not come to any bird houses that are next to a fence, where a cat could easily jump to their sanctuary nor will they want to be in close proximity to a tree where a squirrel or a cat can raid their home.

Birds also don't want to be disturbed by humans. They don’t mind too much if you watch them from afar, but they want their houses away from household and garage noises.

Also, if you're putting up bird houses, as in more than one house, keep the houses at a safe distance from each other. Birds are territorial and do not want other birds creeping up on them while they in their houses.

A couple of other quick reminders to make your bird houses friendly to its inhabitants. Place the opening to the house away from the wind and make sure that the opening faces sunlight for at least a portion of the day.

Birds want a lot of room to stretch their wings so to speak. Your bird houses should have ample room on the inside. Structurally, bird houses should have vents at the top for breathing and at the bottom to work as a drainage system. This addition to your bird houses will give the birds a clean air source and will also help keep the houses dry.

Do some shopping around

Bird houses have different features that attract different birds. Small openings are attractive to smaller birds and some large birds that like to be closed in. Bird houses that have a single opened side are more attractive to robins.

Where do I find bird houses?

You can find bird houses at pet stores, hardware stores and even grocery stores. You can also get them on the Internet.

Bird houses can come fully constructed or you can take matters into your own hands, buy a bird house kit and put the house together yourself. Bird houses are not hard to construct if you have good instructions and the correct tools.