A beautifully decorated birdhouse in green with trees and a bird painted on it, mounted on a tree — Decorating Birdhouses is fun but its important to ensure they are safe for the birds.

Decorating Birdhouses is a great way to make them individual to each owner and make a unique statement in your garden. But it's important to ensure they are safe for the birds so here’s 5 tips on how to paint a birdhouse.

5 tips for painting birdhouses:

A decorated birdhouse in yellow and green hanging on a tree

An aqua blue birdhouse mounted on a wooden wall with pink flowers around it

What paint is best for a birdhouse?
If you’re painting a birdhouse, make sure that you are using non-toxic, lead free paint. This ensures that it is safe for the bird family that will live here in the future.
What colour is best to paint a birdhouse?
Birds want a safe place to make their nest and raise their chicks. So the best colours to use when planning to paint a birdhouse are muted natural colours such as greens and browns. This will help camouflage their home and not attract too much attention from predators.
What colour shouldn’t I paint a birdhouse?
Don’t use dark colours such as black when painting a birdhouse. Dark colours can absorb too much heat from the sun and cause the chicks inside to dehydrate or even die.
Should I paint inside the birdhouse?
No, don’t paint the inside of a birdhouse. Only paint the outside, never paint (or oil) inside as this surface will be directly touching the birds and their chicks.
Can I use a painted birdhouse right away?
It's best to let your birdhouse thoroughly dry for a few days before you hang it up. This will also help any paint smells to fade making it more appealing to potential new residents.

Kohab Birdhouse Range showing 3 different birdhouse types

Buying a birdhouse?

If you live in New Zealand are are looking at buying a birdhouse then take a look at Kohab.nz

Kohab Birdhouses have been specially designed to give safe, warm shelter to a range of regular visitors to NZ gardens. They are made of plywood and although they look great as they are they are also the perfect for painting.

Kohab Birdhouses are different from other birdhouses you can buy here in NZ because:

They are made for the birds in your New Zealand garden that will use a nesting box
They are made from marine grade plywood and will last and last for generations of birdlife to come
Marine Plywood is safe, unlike Tantalised wood that some birdhouses are made of that are harmful to bird health and the environment
They have thick 12mm walls and roof to keep birds and their chicks warms
They are watertight to keep bird families dry
They have good floor ventilation to keep moisture levels low
The nails and mounting screws are made of stainless steel
They come flat packed to reduce packaging and shipping costs, yet only take a few minutes to put together (see the instruction sheet here)
Plus they are proudly NZ made.

We’d love to see what you create. If you do decide to decorate your birdhouse, please share your masterpiece with us by emailing info@kohab.nz