Expert: Roger Lederer - 9/2/2011

Question
Hello,

I am reading under www.ehow.com on how to build bird houses for the following birds in our area (Jupiter, Florida):

Barred owl
Pileated woodpecker
Red-bellied woodpecker

I have lots of 3/4" pressure treated external plywood to use.  While 1 instruction says to use 3/4 pressure treated plywood, another site, at, www.ehow.com/how_5534374_build-pileated-woodpecker-house.html, says to use pine board, and, way at the bottom, it says "Never use pressure-treated wood for live animals."  What's going on??  Can I use my pressure treated wood for these birdboxes??

Thanks,
Jeff

Answer
Well, woodpeckers and other cavity-nesting birds are not all that fussy. They use dead and live trees, fence posts, old buildings, new buildings, barns, etc. to nest in. And some of the places woodpeckers use are made of pressure-treated wood. Pressure treated wood poses only a very minor hazard to these birds, in my opinion. You can use any kind of wood at all and almost any thickness. Durability is the key as is the size of the entry hole; material is not that important. You could use fiberglass or plastic for that matter. Not metal though, as it gets too hot. I think some of these how to build birdhouse sites get much too specific. I've slapped together dozens of bluebird houses of different wood and different sizes and only one has been rejected and that's probably because it's too windy.
So be creative and just build something you like. Most likely, the birds will too.