• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

House sparrows in my bluebird box (1 Viewer)

JMomOhio

JMomOhio

Well-known member
What the heck do I do to get rid of them. I've torn the nest out twice and they are already rebuilding this morning. Luckily, they didn't kill the bluebirds that had already started a nest. Should I just take the box down or block the entry? I hate those house sparrows!!
 
JMomOhio said:
What the heck do I do to get rid of them. I've torn the nest out twice and they are already rebuilding this morning. Luckily, they didn't kill the bluebirds that had already started a nest. Should I just take the box down or block the entry? I hate those house sparrows!!
Click to expand...

Luckily? Do they normally kill other species when competing for nest sites?
 
I know someone who has trouble with them in his purple martin houses too. He just shoots them, but I really don't want to do that!
 
They will wait for a blue bird to go into the box and follow them in, trap them and peck them to death. They will also kill the babies.
 
MrBruce said:
Luckily? Do they normally kill other species when competing for nest sites?
Click to expand...

Sure, House Sparrows are known to enter nest holes & destroy bluebird eggs & nestlings & sometimes the incubating or brooding female as well. But then bluebirds, in turn, have been recorded destroying the eggs & young of chickadees & House Wrens while House Wrens, in their turn, are notorious for doing the same to a whole range of species including bluebirds & House Sparrows. The fact is nest holes tend to be in short supply & the competition for them is often fierce & bloody.
 
Last edited:
If you can...put up some more boxes...could be a shortage of cavities in your immediate vicinity?

I'd love House Sparrows in my yard!

cheers
 
Why do you hate them? Yeah they may be introduced but no bird is 'evil' or does something like this maliciously. Amazing birds. They are declining over much of their native range. I've never had one in my garden and really wish I did.
 
fugl said:
The fact is nest holes tend to be in short supply & the competition for them is often fierce & bloody.
Click to expand...

I'd like to second what Fugl says. Different species competing for cavity sites - often lethally - is a perfectly natural occurrence. Sometimes it even happens "intra-specifically" e.g., one Tree Swallow pair displacing another. I see no justification for "getting rid of" your House Sparrows, for just doing what House Sparrows do naturally.

(If Eastern Bluebirds were a threatened species, and they were depending on human intervention for survival - c.f. the Kirtland's Warbler situation - that might be a different story. But they're not).
 
Heres another link to national organization that may be able to help. In addition, federal and state agencies are available staffed with people with much local knowledge of associated problems. Our state bird here, we're very worried about them.

Apologize for the double post.

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/
 
Unfortunately, no nest box yet devised can exclude House Sparrows while allowing Bluebirds. I've heard that they like to be near human structures and dense cover moreso than Bluebirds, but distance is no guarantee. I don't know what kind of land you're on, but if it's a big plot you might have more luck with Bluebird houses in open areas away from the house.

One thing I have heard of that might help is putting stuff on the roof of the nest box that the sparrows won't like. Here's one version (seems you're supposed to wait to use it until the Bluebirds are laying: http://www.sialis.org/sparrowspooker.htm .

Another is a few pieces of fishing line stretched just above the roof, in theory discouraging the sparrows from perching on top of it, which is apparently something they like to do prior to takeover: http://www.sialis.org/hosp.htm#monofilament
 
There are a few steps you can take to give bluebirds the advantage over House Sparrows:
Take down seed feeders that attract House Sparrows.
Place a bluebird nestbox on sufficient territory to raise chicks (2 acres forage).
Provide an escape route on the nestbox (2nd hole) so bluebirds can escape an attack and take the battle outside the nestbox where bluebirds can outcompete House Sparrows. See my web page for test results using these boxes at no-trap sites: http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/
You CAN trap, but you don't have to if the Keys are followed (see link on my web page).
If questions, I'll be glad to respond with more info.
Slot boxes (with their wide opening) might work the same as 2-holers.

Another choice (as mentioned by another member) is monofilament (fishing) wires on the box and Spookers added after the first egg is laid. I have not used those methods first-hand since bluebirds can outcompete House Sparrows using 2-holed boxes on my 100-box trail.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I think I found the answer. I pulled out the nesting material that the sparrows had put in the box, took down the feeder near the box that had cracked corn in the mix and waited for about a week. I took the duct tape off, the bluebirds returned and now have a nest in the box. We live on 3 acres and I have at least 10 birdhouses out for both the wrens and bluebirds. For some reason we have tons of house sparrows this year and they seem to be taking over seed feeders, suet cages and running off my other birds. I suppose 'HATE' was too harsh a word, but they have been a nuisance around here this year.
 
Wrens

Be careful in offering a multitude of boxes, especially whether you want to invite wrens. Wrens will usurp bluebird nests by pecking/removing their eggs and become a bigger problem as time passes. As to bluebird-sized holes/boxes, you probably should have only one. If you have additional bluebird/HOSP sized boxes, it invites House Sparrow problems. See my web page: http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/ for more details.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 12 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

J
Bluebird box occupied by Sparrows
Replies
4
Views
587
Jazzcat
J
1
Bluebird nest box and fending off house sparrows
Replies
3
Views
746
vorobushek
V
P
Black capped chickadees vs bluebird. More boxes?
Replies
1
Views
71
Kits
Kits
K
Bluebird protecting house sparrow nest from starling.
Replies
0
Views
333
K3ZD
K
S
Flicker Box
Replies
1
Views
209
Kits
Kits

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top