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Not Just For the Birds
Birdwatching is a popular hobby that can be done anywhere, including your own backyard. While a birdhouse is functional and encourages birds to visit your yard, it can also express your unique personality. These birdhouse ideas include both traditional and eccentric designs that can be purchased online, or used as inspirations for your own DIY birdhouse projects.
Vintage Camper
This build-it-yourself birdhouse from Etsy seller 1Man1Garage is a scale model of a vintage camper that will lend a retro feel to your garden. It’s a creative birdhouse idea that makes for an easy DIY project because the pieces are packed flat and simply pop out and snap together. It’s available in a natural wood hue, allowing you to paint it yourself, though it’s also sold pre-painted in a variety of colors.
Get the Vintage Camper Birdhouse at Etsy, priced from $27.20.
Old West Saloon
Would your local birds enjoy a visit to a Western-style saloon? This DIY kit comes unpainted, allowing you to get creative with the final design. It has a medium-sized opening, allowing birds of various sizes to visit. The total height is 9.45 inches, making this a compact option that’s already assembled so buyers can simply add their own style in the finishing process.
Weathered Watering Can
This metal birdhouse comes ready to hang, and has a naturally weathered look for a rustic aesthetic. It’s shaped like a classic watering can, and can be simply hung by its handle from a tree branch or installed onto a flat surface. If you have a vintage watering can, the same concept can easily be recreated.
Get the Watering Can Birdhouse at Countryside Home Decor for $51.
RELATED: The Best Watering Cans for Indoor and Outdoor Gardening
Two-Stepping Rooster
This cheeky and creative birdhouse from Etsy seller WestConcept is sure to get a laugh out of your guests. Shaped like a rooster dressed up in Western finery, it has dangling feet that dance in the wind. It’s sized to be well-suited for hummingbirds, chickadees, and sparrows. Despite its comical design, it’s actually built for efficiency, with holes and slits in the roof for optimal ventilation.
Rustic Treehouse
This treehouse-style birdhouse by WestConcept on Etsy is handcrafted from eucalyptus plywood and includes creative features like pine cone decor and a rough-hewn ladder. A sign reading “Welcome to our neck of the woods” greets your winged guests. The top opens, allowing you to easily add birdseed, which travels down a chute onto the platform below.
Get the Modern Birdhouse at Etsy for $39.99.
RELATED: Treehouse Envy: 12 Lofty Designs
Bookworm’s Haven
Budding ornithologists and book lovers alike will appreciate this creative birdhouse idea from BookwormBirdhouses on Etsy. Each book is handmade and custom-designed to feature any text or illustration you’d like in order to express your diverse interests. The bookworm birdhouse features a 1.25-inch opening and includes the necessary mounting hardware.
Cedar Wood Spirit
This artisanal, hand-carved birdhouse will lend a touch of whimsy to your yard. Because it’s made from cedar, it will age to a gray color over time when exposed to the elements. It can be hung or mounted, and features a removable bottom for easy cleaning. Each one of these wood spirit birdhouses is signed by the artist.
Mini Cooper
Modeled after a Mini Cooper S R53, this ready-to-build birdhouse created by WhatAGeekDesigns comes flat packed and simply requires a bit of glue to assemble. It can be left in its natural state or painted to attract different sorts of birds. DIYers with a laser cutter could also use this as inspiration for a DIY project because the cuts are all relatively simple.
Paisley Cottage
A fanciful fairy tale cottage created by PapaJonsflyinns on Etsy makes a perfect pit stop for your local birds. With a whimsical, curved roof design that’s supposed to look like a paisley, this bird house looks like it jumped right out of a story book. It’s made with distressed galvanized metal and cedar, and could easily be recreated by a crafty bird lover.
Get the Paisley Cottage Birdhouse at Etsy for $94.95.
RELATED: 11 Florals That Will Give Your Garden an English Cottage Feel
Gourd Cottage
Made from a hollowed-out gourd and a pinecone, this birdhouse by Etsy seller inmypaintedgarden would make for an easy crafting project. The gourd is hand-painted to look like an old English cottage with the pinecone acting as the thatched roof. It’s sealed with polyurethane to protect it from the elements and comes with a chain attached so it’s ready to hang.
Get the Old English Greystone Cottage Birdhouse at Etsy for $50.
Build-it-Yourself Wooden Cottage
All of the pieces of this build-it-yourself birdhouse by Etsy seller Carterwoodproducts are ready to put together, with nails, string, and hooks included in the package. Each piece has pre-drilled screw divots, making this a fun art project to complete with children. The design can also be used as inspiration to make a wooden bird cottage of your own.
His and Hers Birdhouses
Everyone needs a little privacy—even birds! This “his and hers”-style birdhouse by DutchCrafters features two side-by-side birdhouses on the same wooden base. The entire structure is made from solid wood with a rustic finish. It would make a great wedding or engagement gift for the couple who loves to birdwatch together.
Get the Amish Handcrafted His-Hers Birdhouses at Etsy for $60.
Maritime Lighthouse
Whether you live by the seaside or just want to bring a nautical vibe to your backyard, a lighthouse-shaped birdhouse like this one by ADLaserImages on Etsy will do the trick. The upper observation deck is a great place to sprinkle bird seed so you can watch feathered visitors in action. This one is constructed from plywood and comes unfinished, allowing you to paint or stain it in any color you’d like.
Chicken Coop
While it may not be large enough to fit actual chickens, this birdhouse by ADLaserImages is crafted to look like a minimalist chicken coop. It has a streamlined aesthetic, and a simple design that could easily be replicated. This version is made from birch plywood and is ready to be assembled and custom painted.
Get the Chicken Coop Birdhouse at Etsy for $30.75.
RELATED: 14 Chicken Coop Plans Perfect for Big or Small Homesteads
Mid-Century Modern
Make your local birds feel like they’ve taken a trip to Palm Springs with this on-trend mid-century modern birdhouse from PleasantRanch. It’s designed to look like a retro house, complete with breeze blocks, wood siding, and even a plant on the front stoop. With a clean-out port on the back it’s easy to access and wipe out the interior as needed.
Get the Mid-Century Modern Indio Birdhouse at Etsy, priced from $249.
Raindrop Moss
Many birdhouses are designed to stand out and be noticed, but this pick from Supermoss is expertly crafted to blend into the natural landscape of your property. It features a teardrop-shaped design and is coated with natural moss, which takes several years to disintegrate. The product comes with a chain, which makes it easy to hang from a branch or post.
Starbucks Fly Through
This handmade birdhouse from Etsy seller buyabirdhouse is designed to look like a Starbucks cafe, allowing feathered friends to pass through as though they were simply grabbing a venti latte. The shape of this model is classic, but the painted design will make it stand out and act as an instant conversation piece.
Owl House
Most birdhouses on the market are designed for smaller bird species and feature entry holes with 1- or 1.5-inch diameters in order to accommodate them. This model from Etsy seller RustysWoodshed, however, is designed to house small breeds of owls and includes an opening that’s 3.5 inches wide. It’s constructed from cedar wood and coated with a weather protectant to ensure it’s protected from the elements.
Modern Architecture
This striking birdhouse is designed to look like a De Stijl-style home from the early 20th century. It was actually designed with the help of ornithological experts to ensure its dimensions were perfect for keeping birds safe and happy. The interior features climbing notches, which help chicks to leave the nest in order to attempt their first flight.
Get the Modern Architecture Birdhouse at the MoMA Design Store for $75.
RELATED: What is Actually Considered Modern Architecture?
Classic Mailbox
Etsy seller ADLaserImages created this birdhouse kit, which is designed to look like a classic mailbox. It even has a functioning flag that can be positioned up or down. It’s made from birch plywood and comes disassembled so users can put it together themselves. It’s important to note that the final product requires a finishing coat to protect it from the elements.
Victorian Farmhouse
House the local birds in style with this Victorian farmhouse-style birdhouse. The ornate trim and cathedral-style windows add charm to the design, while drainage holes are a practical addition. The back is removable for easy seasonal cleaning. It even lights up at night with LED lights that can be set on a timer.
Get the Plow & Hearth Madison Farmhouse Lighted Birdhouse at Target for $79.94.
RELATED: 18 Victorian Homes We Love
Copper Farmhouse
This luxurious model from Etsy creator RedShedGarden is made entirely from copper and is designed to look like a classic farmhouse. Because it’s powder-coated, it’s completely weather-proof and includes drainage and ventilation holes in order to keep the birds dry and comfortable. It includes five entry holes and five perches, making it suitable for a whole family of feathered friends.
Tent Kit
This DIY birdhouse kit from Etsy seller ADLaserImages looks like a retro tent and is ready to be personalized to fit your home’s style and aesthetic. Rather than a typical entry hole, this model features an opened tent flap in a triangular shape, which is designed to accommodate many species of small birds. The entrance measures 6 inches tall by 2 inches wide at the widest point.
Log Cabin
Those living in rustic rural properties will appreciate the simplicity of this log-cabin-style birdhouse designed by Etsy seller A10WOODEN. It comes disassembled so that users can put it together themselves, and the process is simple enough to be done with children as a fun crafting activity. The cabin’s wood pieces are pre-stained and ready to go, so you won’t need to bust out the paintbrushes before putting it together.
Get the Log Cabin Birdhouse at Etsy for $24.
Prices published here are current as of April 6, 2022.