Habitat Requirements

Species	Nesting Habitat	Box Height	Hole Size
American Kestrel	pastures, fields, meadows, or orchards with mowed or grazed vegetation; place boxes on lone trees in fields, on trees along edges of woodlots, and on farm buildings	10-30 feet	3" diameter
Ash-throated Flycatcher	chaparral, mesquite thickets, oak scrub, dry plains spotted with trees or cacti, deserts, and open deciduous and riparian woodlands	3-20 feet	1 3/4" round
Barn Owl	prefer open areas like fields, deserts and marshes which are in close proximity to hollow trees, cliffs, riverbanks, or man-made structures, including barns, bridges and other accessible sites, and which support healthy rodent populations.	20-25 feet	6" round
Black-capped Chickadee	forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight, spaced one box per 10 acres, hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" wood shavings can be placed in box	5-15 feet	1 1/8" round
Brown-headed Nuthatch	open stands of pine-hardwood forests, clearings scattered with dead trees, forest edges, burned areas, cypress swamps	5-20 feet	1 1/4" round
Carolina Chickadee	forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight, hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" wood shavings can be placed in box	5-15 feet	1 1/8" round
Carolina Wren	forests with thick underbrush, forest edges, woodland clearings, open forests, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubs	5-10 feet	1 1/2" round
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	coniferous forests, mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, forest edges, woodlands, thickets, burned areas, often near streams; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" wood shavings can be placed in box	5-15 feet	1 1/8" round
Common Goldeneye	breeding habitat is limited to aquatic areas with dead trees, in boreal, deciduous, aspen and montane woods; favor calm, large, clear lakes without much vegetation or fish	20-30 feet	3"high x 4" wide
Eastern Bluebird	open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; Mountain and Western bluebirds will also use deciduous and coniferous forest edges; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west facing directions	3-6 feet	1 1/2" diameter
Eastern Screech Owl	forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, wooded stream edges, under a tree limb. Add 2"-3" of wood shavings	10-30 feet	3" round; north facing
European Starling	habitat generalists, nesting in areas ranging from rural and agricultural to suburban and urban areas, but they avoid heavily wooded, mountainous, and arid regions.	providing nest boxes is discouraged for this species	can squeeze through holes with 1 9/16" diameter
Great Crested Flycatcher	deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, forest edges, woodlots, orchards, parks, on post or tree at forest edge	3-20 feet	1 9/16" round
Hooded Merganser	quiet, shallow, clear water pools surrounded by or near the edge of deciduous woods: small forest pools, ponds, swamps; add 3" of wood shavings; add ladder under inside of entrance hole for young to climb out	6-25 feet	3" high by 4" wide horizontal oval
House Sparrow	agricultural, suburban, and urban areas; tend to avoid woodlands, forests, grasslands, and deserts	providing nest boxes is discouraged for this species	can fit through holes with 1 1/2" diameter
House Wren	variety of habitats, farmland, openings, open forests, forest edges, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubs	5-10 feet	1 1/4" round
Mountain Bluebird	open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; Mountain and Western bluebirds will also use deciduous and coniferous forest edges; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west facing directions	3-6 feet	1 9/16" diameter
Mountain Chickadee	coniferous forests, forest edges, woodland clearings; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" wood shavings can be placed in box	5-15 feet	1 1/8" round
Northern Flicker	pastures, groves, woodlots, orchards, fields, meadows, woodland clearings, forest edges, urban parks, on pole or tree at forest edge or along fence rows bordering crop fields; box should be completely filled with wood chips or shavings	6-30 feet	2 1/2" round; southeast facing
Prothonotary Warbler	lowland hardwood forests subject to flooding, stagnant water, swamps, ponds, marshes, streams, flooded river valleys, wet bottomlands; box should be over or near water	4-12 feet	1 1/4" round
Purple Martin	broad open areas (meadows, fields, farmland, swamps, ponds, lakes, rivers) with unobstructed space for foraging on flying insects; there should be no trees or buildings within 40 feet of the martin pole in any direction; houses should be painted white	10-15 feet	2 1/8" round
Red-breasted Nuthatch	mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, shrub lands, swamps, farmlands, suburban parks; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" wood shavings can be placed in box	5-15 feet	1 1/4" round
Tree Swallow	open fields near water, expansive open areas, marshes, meadows, wooded swamps; on a post in open areas near tree or fence, 30-100 feet apart	5-15 feet	1 3/8" round east facing
Tufted Titmouse	deciduous forest, thick timber stands, woodland clearings, forest edges, woodlots, riparian and mesquite habitats; spaced one box per 8 acres, hole should face away from prevailing wind	5-15 feet	1 1/4" round
Violet-green Swallow	open or broken deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, wooded canyons, edges of dense forest	9-15 feet	1 3/8" round
Western Bluebird	open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; Mountain and Western bluebirds will also use deciduous and coniferous forest edges; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west facing directions	3-6 feet	1 1/2" diameter
Western Screech Owl	lower elevations, forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, deserts, wooded stream edges, under a tree limb. Add 2"-3" of wood shavings	10-30 feet	3" round; north facing
White-breasted Nuthatch	deciduous woodlands, mature forests, woodlots, near open areas, forest edges, orchards, often near water; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" wood shavings can be placed in box	5-20 feet	1 3/8" round
Wood Duck	forested wetlands or near marshes, swamps, and beaver ponds; place boxes in deciduous trees, 30-100 feet from the nearest water, spaced 600 feet apart	6-30 feet	4" wide, 3" high

This information comes from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.