SUN JOURNAL • November 7, 2025
Why would there be a dead bird in a bird house, especially with its eggs? Unfortunately, a common problem for cavity nesting species comes from competition with non-native species that also want to use those cavities, in this case, a bird house. The most common culprit is the house sparrow, also known as the “English sparrow” because they are an Old World species. They are very aggressive and will go into an occupied box and peck the adult bluebirds to death. Even native species will compete with bluebirds and sometimes show “agonistic behavior.” Should you be cleaning out your bird houses now? The easy answer is yes, clean them out and give birds a fresh start next year. Many parasites, especially mites, move into old nest material, so removing those is helpful. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox