Ideas for Unique Birdhouses

Cuckoo Clock Birdhouses

• A cuckoo clock is almost a ready-made birdhouse, as it already has an entrance hole and looks like a miniature house already. All it really needs is to be hollowed out, which can be accomplished by taking apart the clock and removing the clockwork mechanisms inside. The face of the clock can either also be removed or left alone as an interesting decoration.

Edible Birdhouses

• Combine a bird feeder and a bird house into one project. A wooden birdhouse, either homemade or store-bought, is best to use as a base. Use peanut or apple butter and spread it over either the entire birdhouse or individual parts, such as the roof. Using the peanut butter as glue, sprinkle birdseeds or peanuts onto the peanut butter or press the covered area into the birdseed to adhere the seed to the wood.

Boot Birdhouses

• That old pair of boots cluttering up your closet can be put to good use as a home for a bird. Regardless of if they are cowboy boots, gumboots or old leather boots, any kind will be fine as long as they can stand up to the weather. Cover the top with plastic material (an old tablecloth will do the trick) and cut a hole a few inches up from the sole of your boot that is large enough for a bird to fit into. This unique birdhouse can be hung from a tree or simply anchored to a post.

Gourd Birdhouses

• Gourds come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes, most of which are very aesthetically pleasing. Once you've gotten a dried gourd, cut an entrance hole in an outward facing area of the fruit. Make sure to wear a mask when cutting to avoid inhaling dust. Empty the gourd of seeds. Your gourd birdhouse needs small drainage holes in the bottom to keep it dry. You may need to apply a protective weather-proofing substance to the gourd to ensure that it lasts through the winter.

Natural Materials

• Natural materials are readily available for collection when you take a quick nature walk through the woods. Sticks, branches, dried grasses or thick pieces of bark all serve as great materials for the walls and roof of your birdhouse. Use sturdy, weatherproof glue, such as super glue or carpenter's glue, to construct the house. Stuff any cracks with moss, but remember that the moss will eventually dry out in the summer and may need to be replaced or added to.