How to Make a Winter Roosting Box

A Roost Box for Winter, A Flicker Nest Box for Summer: Build a Box That Can Be Easily Converted

Nov 20, 2006

Build a winter roosting box for chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and small woodpeckers; convert it to a nest box for Northern Flickers in spring.

Build a winter roosting box for your small backyard birds, then convert it to a nesting box for Northern Flickers in the spring. This roost box plan is ideal for chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and small woodpeckers (for bluebirds, see the note at the end).

Supplies

Wood: a pine or cedar board, 1" x 8" x 14'
1 ½" galvanized wood screws

Cut the pieces

Back, 32" long
Sides (2), 24" long
Fronts (2), 24" long
Floor, 4 ¼ " long
Shelves, 2 pieces 4 ¼ " long, cut in half diagonally
Roof, 10 ¾ " long

Cut the holes in the box fronts: for the roosting box, the hole should be 1¼" with the center about 2" from the bottom. For the nest box, cut a 2½ " hole with the center 5" from the top.
Drill four ¼" drainage holes in the bottom.
Cut a series of grooves about an inch apart on the inside of the back and left side of the box for woodpeckers to cling to. Avoid cutting the grooves all the way to the edge of the board if possible.
Line up the shelves on the inside of the roost box front so that they will partition the right hand side of the box. Place them ¾" from the outside edge and about 3½" apart, starting 3½" from the top. Attach each shelf with a screw.
Attach the floor to the bottom of the box front from the front with two screws.
Attach the sides to the front and floor: from the outside put three screws in each side from the front, and two on each side at the bottom.
Secure the unattached end of each shelf to the right side of the box with a screw from the outside of the box.
Attach the roof with two screws from the top into each side of the box (don’t put screws into the top of the front).
Screw on the back of the box. It will extend 5" past the top of the roof and a couple of inches past the floor.
Drill holes in the back above and below the box for attachment to a tree or post.

Hang the box so that the bottom is at least 10' from the ground. A sheltered location, facing south, is a good choice. Northern Flickers like a sunny nesting site near the edge of an open field, so keep this in mind as well when you decide where to hang the roosting box.

To convert the roosting box to a Northern Flicker nesting box in the spring (by about April 1st), remove the screws in the front and right side of the box and pull the front off. The shelves will come with it. Clean out the box if necessary. Ideally, find a piece of rotting wood, trim it to the dimensions of the box interior (4 ¼" x 7 ¼" x 20") and place it inside the box before screwing on the alternate front with the larger hole near the top. This will discourage European Starlings and give the flickers some material to excavate before building a nest in the box.

Switch the fronts again in the fall when the flickers have finished nesting and the nights are getting colder.

Bluebirds in your area may use a nest box with these dimensions; however, it’s likely they would prefer something a bit larger. If you want to attract bluebirds, you can omit the shelves, place the hole at the top, and cut it 1 ½" wide. Cover the drainage holes in winter with a piece of wood to keep heat in the bottom of the box, and hang it lower – about six feet from the ground.