Updated at: 18-06-2023 - By: Jane Brody

If you want to attract a different type of bird to your yard, you might want to consider closing up part of the entrance to your birdhouse.

A wooden block can be used to reduce the size of a hole in a birdhouse, although it is not commercially available. You may purchase a hassle-free metal plate set to protect your birdhouse from predators. The plates come in a range of sizes, and installation is as simple as covering the existing hole with the provided screws.

Bird In A Hole

Although there may be good reasons to lessen the size of the entrance hole in a birdhouse, doing so shouldn’t cost more than buying a new one.

You may have to buy a new birdhouse if you decide that implementing the steps I’ve outlined would be too expensive or take up too much of your time.

Simply placing a wooden block or metal plate over the existing hole will result in a smaller entry hole for your birdhouse.

Both can be marketed as predator guards, but they serve just as well as a means of reducing the size of the opening to a birdhouse.

Use a wooden block or stainless steel plate that you can screw over the existing hole for a quick and easy temporary fix. You can choose to glue the wooden block together if you choose, but once you do, there’s no turning back.

While predator protections like a wooden block will require some time and effort on your part or that of a friend, you can sell metal plates in a variety of sizes with little to no investment.

Next, I propose replacing the entire front panel of the birdhouse, including the area around the original hole, albeit in practice this would be glued rather than nailed or screwed.

Screw or glue on predator guard

That’s too bad there wasn’t a predator guard included with your birdhouse, but you can easily install one yourself, either temporarily or permanently.

Although you probably won’t be able to find a wooden predator guard for sale anywhere, installing one in a bird house can significantly reduce the size of the entrance hole.

If you want your cedar birdhouse to look like it was made out of cedar, you need buy a plank of cedar to go with the wooden predator protection. However, if you want to utilize a cheaper predator guard, one made of pine wood won’t stand out too much.

You can rapidly reduce the size of a birdhouse hole by gluing a 3 by 3 inch wooden block over it, or you can use screws to achieve the same effect without making the block permanent.

As a result, if the hole in the wooden block is no longer necessary, it can be filled in, and at worst, the block can be moved to a new location if it is not in the center.

Wood glue is all that’s needed to permanently attach a wooden predator; no nails or screws are required.

Fix entry hole protector plate

Bird In A Hole-2

Instead of using a wooden predator guard block, a stainless steel plate could be used to reduce the size of the opening in a birdhouse.

The ability to resize the birdhouse entry hole and experiment with various sizes to find the best fit is made possible by the fact that they are often sold in packs of five or less of each size.

In contrast to using a wooden block, which can protrude from the birdhouse by as much as 5/8 inch, a metal plate can be used to cover the hole while keeping the front panel of the birdhouse flush.

The reflecting surface can attract predatory birds or squirrels, which is bad, but on the bright side, the predator can’t enlarge the hole to get to the eggs or chicks, which is good.

To secure the stainless steel metal plate to the birdhouse, its uses usually a two-point mount, with holes on opposing sides to accommodate the screws that would be included.

You should include at least one of the more common entry hole sizes in the reduced size you need, which are available on stainless steel plates.

Replace whole panel

Not a viable option for individuals who lack the necessary know-how or resources to attempt it on their own.

Final thought: swap out the birdhouse’s entire front panel.

The birdhouse can’t be made with wood glue, because then it would be impossible to disassemble. The birdhouse could only have been put together using removable fasteners like nails, screws, or staples for this to work.

While most birdhouses you can buy are made in cedar, you would need a nice plank of cedar – preferably in the thickness that matches the birdhouse you intend to adjust the hole size on.

Simply measure up the original front of the birdhouse panel you removed, then match it up to the new piece.

It would be much easier to work with if you pre-drilled the new size of the birdhouse entry hole before you cut it up to size.

A hole bit on a power drill or even a bench drill is needed to remove it, but if you don’t have either, a member of your family or close friend can help you out.

The next step is to form the replacement cedar front panel so it can be reinstalled on the birdhouse.

To summarize

Bird In A Hole-3

The first step in attracting the right kind of birds is making sure the entry hole of your birdhouse is large enough for them.

A predator guard can be used to reduce the size of the entry hole into a birdhouse; they are typically constructed from wood and can be attached with wood glue or screws.

While glue will hold things in place, screws will allow for future changes.

Wooden predator guard blocks aren’t commercially available, but it’s not hard to manufacture them or have them made.

Similarly, metal plates made of stainless steel and available in up to five different sizes might serve as an inexpensive predator guard.

There’s likely to be one that works for you, and the rest can be utilized later, even if just to try to lure in a variety of bird species.

Finally, I’ll discuss a less conventional approach to changing the front panel of the birdhouse, the one with the entrance hole.

If the birdhouse isn’t glued together, but rather held together with screws or nails, you can remove the old front panel and put in a new one with a smaller hole in it.

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