Novelty nest bins putting lawn birds at threat, warns RSPB

Novelty chicken nest bins in uncommon hues and designs may be risky for birds, the RSPB has warned.

hen houses embellished in bright colorings or fashioned to seem like actual houses, caravans or maybe windmills have come to be more and more popular in current years.

but the RSPB has warned that the unusual designs could hazard the lives of birds nesting within them, due to the fact vibrant colorations ought to draw the attention of predators even as bad designs may additionally leave birds liable to cold, damp or overheating.

next packing containers have to now not be brightly colored, should don't have any perches and have to be nicely-insulated, waterproof and robust, it advises.

metal roofs "hold too much warmness and might have deadly outcomes for toddler birds on warm, sunny days" at the same time as ceramic designs are poorly insulated. metallic and plastic containers also "suffer from condensation causing child birds to get damp and bloodless".

The birds charity is urging people to install conventional nest containers to assist lawn birds like sparrows and starlings, numbers of that are in decline.

talking at some point of countrywide Nest field Week, Ben Andrew, RSPB wildlife marketing consultant, stated: "in preference to selecting unusual designs and materials, humans should stick to traditional, wooden nest boxes; they virtually are the nice and regularly the maximum price powerful.

"human beings have a tendency to forget about that a nest container will finally comprise tiny helpless, inclined baby birds so the appearance of the box ought to be the last thing for your thoughts."

colourful novelty designs are available from a extensive range of shops such as the DIY and gardens massive Homebase.

In a press launch selling its range of "top notch state-of-the-art hen homes", in autumn 2014, Homebase said the products have been "flying off the shelves".

It stated that the products have been famous with "image aware consumers, keen to outdo neighbours with the today's phrase in avian luxury" and that they have been a "dream come proper for each British dinner desk communique".

current models on sale at the store include a £29.99 cottage-formed birdhouse to be had in vibrant colors together with tangerine, and a £sixty nine.ninety nine hen house designed as the “archetypal English Pub”, defined as "full of old English appeal complete with pub sign and window boxes".

A Homebase spokesman said: "As a socially accountable retailer, we ensure all of our fowl boxes are suitable for nesting. The entire range is made from wood with more ornamental packing containers finished in out of doors, water-primarily based, non-toxic paint.

"We additionally specify inside product descriptions if a nesting box is extra suitable for precise forms of birds. in addition, we offer advice to clients on-line that consists of the way to find a secure area for you hen field and the way to create a chicken pleasant garden."

Mr Andrew of the RSPB said that bright colorings should make nest packing containers more obvious to animals like squirrels or cats, advising "the more inconspicuous the higher".

He admitted that the charity did now not have "masses and plenty of evidence" to reveal birds have been coming to damage in the novelty containers, but stated it had acquired occasional calls from human beings announcing they'd determined a nest container complete of lifeless birds and that the field were metallic.

The charity had had some of calls from chook-lovers concerned about the novelty bins being offered and stated the dangers were commonly "common feel".