What colour should a bird box be
Your only concern of what colour a bird box should be is one that blends into its setting so well, its near impossible to spot at a distance.
What colour should a bird box be is one that blends into its environment. It can be painted in a bright colour or more of a natural tone - as long has the area its fixed to corresponds to the bird box colour scheme, or vice-versa. Untreated bird boxes can be used, but can be more appealing to birds once its weathered.
If you plan to buy a bird box of any kind, do so with the colour scheme of your garden decor in mind, in failing to do that you just bought a bird box that does NOT match.
On a more serious note, the bird box must blend so well into its new place, it can be hard for you to notice it - but so to would it be hard to spot by potential predators.
Bird boxes must not be setup in the garden in a way that its more decorative - it can be enjoyed by you still but it must not stand out at all.
What colour should the bird box be then is a shade that can help you hide it; to buy a painted one it must be in a colour your decor is painted in - or why not buy an untreated bird house so you can paint it with any spare paint you have leftover.
Go ahead and use a bird box that is painted, treated or comes naturally in a colour scheme that is sure to make it hard to see, once setup in your garden.
Colour that blends into setting
Bird boxes of any kind should be finished in a colour that blends in with its surrounding in the garden.
To not take this into consideration you could end with with a brightly coloured bird box on a darker background - or a painted in brown bird box on a brightly painted backing.
You must then go for a bird box that blends in with its new permanent home.
To fix a bird box on a tree, a fence post, or individual wooden post - then this post for example must be untreated - or in a colour that matches the bird box.
Similarly, if hanging up a bird box in a tree then that is different, but to use an unpainted bird box would eventually see it weather, in which it can match the tree its set in.
Only site a bird box in a location then that is guaranteed to be a colour match.
Natural tone bird box will do
What I mean by natural tone is actually the popular brown colours you can buy a bird box in, often promoted as Oak or Charcoal, for example.
The idea of this colour is to be more fitting with something found in nature, such as brown tree bark or the distant colours of woodlands.
To buy a bird box in this colour theme can help it blend in with most settings, be it in our gardens or in the woods.
What still applies is if fixing it up in the garden - say on a fence post or shed - then these garden items must also be painted in a shade of brown.
And when I say brown it must be in a way that allows the wood grain to show up, as the most natural colour scheme a bird box can be.
On top of that, the manufacturer's use a treatment that sort to make the timber last longer.
Not too attract attention
Its easily done when you simply want a decorative bird box that would be used to liven up an otherwise bland garden landscape.
Well, think again because this plan could lead to a lot of trouble for your new bird house occupants.
Bird boxes must blend into its environment in a way that doesn't standout, as it can lead to danger for the eggs or young birds inside the box during nesting season.
Brightly coloured bird boxes positioned in a way that is out of character, would draw the eyes of predators who wish to do harm.
Cats can be attracted to colourful things, so can make occasional visits.
So to can predatory birds who intend to eat the eggs, but so too can a squirrel be drawn to the bright colours of a objects - worse still if its a bird box in use.
To buy a bird box that is within keeping of the garden decor is essential, but what is more important is the area its located in allows the box to blend in flawlessly.
Untreated box to customise
While it has to be said, an untreated, unpainted bird box is going to be the most attractive prospect for birds who may nest in it, as there's a little trouble early on.
You see, an untreated, bare wooden bird box can be what is classed as a bright, easy to spot bird box hung up or fixed to a wall.
It will never blend into a painted or more natural colour setting, nor can it look the part on a brick wall - with a little natural coverage in a hedgerow or ivy.
So in a way what I have outlined above, suddenly becomes pointless - even though its the best course of action.
Untreated bird boxes are there to be customised if you can, so paint or stain it to match the garden decor 100% right now.
Or, you could instead leave it untreated but allow it to weather over the course of a few years... as weathered, more natural bird boxes are far more appealing to wild birds.
Benefits to weathered boxes
Once you got through the stage of a brand new build bird box of any kind, the weathering effect shouldn't be looked at as something bad, but something to look forward to.
Buy a brand new bird box with the intention of it being weathered, but do expect up to a year for that process to begin, with up to three years where it basically looks at its worse.
Benefit to that is it can be more appealing to wild birds if it is indeed located in the perfect spot.
However, using more quality hardwood such as cedar or oak is going to see the bird box last far longer, with the weathering effect never seem to happen.
To see a bird box weather sooner then, as to help it blend in more with your garden landscape - be sure to use a softwood, such a fir or pine.
If you want to stay more rustic with your bird box - and you happen to have a white bark birch tree in your garden - then forget about a handmade wooden bird box when a made in natural birch log bird box would be a better solution.
Woodcrete design on tree
If you intend to get the colour of a bird box to match that of the trunk of a tree in your garden, then the only way that can happen is in a shade of brown.
You would then need to buy a bird box painted in a shade of oak or charcoal, for example.
What I would ask you to do instead though is invest in a bird house that is known as a woodcrete bird box.
Its not made in wood in the traditional sense, but more so made in a cement and wood epoxy to create its unique rounded shape.
Natural tones are the most popular colour scheme, but for a good reason.
Woodcrete bird boxes use a lighter, yet far more natural tone that matches tree bark or a woodland environment. So rather than worrying about a certain colour in a bird box to fix it to a tree, a woodcrete box is an excellent solution.
What is more remarkable than the colour scheme, is how a woodcrete bird box weathers in a more real, natural way - as it can adopt to use the moss grown on the tree bark.
To summarise
First and foremost, what colour should a bird box be is whatever the colour scheme you plan too fix it to, be it on a wall, post or tree.
If the bird box is going to be screwed into a fence post or shed, then the bird box must match the fence post or shed colour - in a way that would make it near impossible to see with the human eye.
If people can't see it then predators won't be attracted to it with the intent of stealing the eggs or killing the young.
Natural tone bird boxes in shades of brown where the grain shows up is an option, as it can look pleasing to the eye but again - it must match the garden decor you a more likely to be using in your own.
Untreated bird boxes are perfectly acceptable too as they are more appealing to wild birds for nesting, as oppose to brightly coloured bird boxes that can attract trouble.
Untreated bird boxes can lead to heavy weathering, so while it can seem like a bad idea to have a weathered bird box over time, it can blend well into its environment.
If you wish to fix a bird box onto a tree trunk, then my recommendation is a bird house known as a woodcrete bird box - designed to weather in a way that matches the bark of an aged tree.
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