| Many birdhouses have no ventilation at
all. Others have a couple of holes drilled in the side which is
essentially the same thing as no ventilation at all.
A birdhouse should have ventilation SLOTS directly
under the roof that are at least three eighths of an inch wide.
Without this ventilation heat accumulates inside the
birdhouse. On hot sunny days when outside temperatures are in the
high eighties or higher, temperatures inside bird houses can easily reach
107 degrees and cause the eggs or young birds to die.
The effect of ventilation upon birdhouse temperatures
is quite easily demonstrated.
On a hot sunny day when temperatures are in the 80's
or 90's, sit in your parked car in full sun with the windows cracked
half an inch. It won't take long for enough heat to accumulate in
the car to make it extremely uncomfortable. Stay in the over heating
car longer and the heat can become life threatening.
After sweltering for a while, roll the windows half way down and see
how much cooler it becomes. This is similar to replacing
'ventilation' holes with two long ventilation slots of at least three
eighths of an inch wide on two sides of the nest box.
Even if the birds don't die in a nest box with
inadequate ventilation, they are often exposed to a miserable existence
inside a sweltering hot nest box for the first 18 days of their lives.
Keep on studying. More pictures are on the way!
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