How to Keep Sparrows Out of Your Blue Bird House

Many homeowners place birdhouses in lawns and gardens in the hopes of attracting bluebirds. Unfortunately, these houses can also bring about an onslaught of sparrows, one of the bluebird's natural predators. According to Sialis, house sparrows will overtake a bluebird's house, kill its occupant and may even build its nest over the bluebird's corpse. There are several ways to ensure that bluebird houses attract their desired occupants and not potentially dangerous sparrows.

Things You'll Need

  • Thistle
  • Black oil sunflower
  • Safflower
  • Rubber plug
  • Rubber snake
  • Light-colored paint
  • Paintbrush
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place thistle, black oil sunflower or safflower into birdhouses and bird feeders instead of suet, cracked corn or bread, which will attract the sparrows to the area.

    • 2

      Place bluebird houses away from the main house, barns, feedlots or crops. These are all areas that may contain food that will attract the sparrows.

    • 3

      Place rubber plugs into the nesting hole of the house until bluebirds appear in the area, especially during early spring when sparrows are more active until around April 1. This will ensure that the unwanted invaders do not set up shop in the birdhouse.

    • 4

      Place a rubber snake on top of the birdhouse. This will act as a deterrent to frighten any potential unwanted guests from the box. Once a bluebird appears in the yard, remove the snake.

    • 5

      Avoid placing a bluebird house in the same area, if the same or another house was overtaken by a sparrow the year before. A sparrow may return to the same spot looking to inhabit another birdhouse.

    • 6

      Paint the inside of the birdhouse with a light-colored paint, such as white. Sparrows prefer darker environments and a lighter-colored interior may not be attractive to this unwanted bird. The birdhouse may need to be disassembled in order to paint the interior.

    • 7

      Avoid placing nesting materials inside the box. A sparrow may be more attracted to a birdhouse that already contains the desired filling.