Quick Answer: The best nuthatch nest box in 2026 is the Coveside Nuthatch House — solid pine built to the 1.25-inch entrance hole White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches need, for $62.99 direct from Coveside. The Nature Niche Amish-made Cedar Nuthatch Box ($39.50) matches the same spec with a built-in predator guard around the hole, and the Kettle Moraine Nuthatch & Titmouse Box ($48, recycled poly lumber) is a dual-species pick that also draws Tufted Titmice. Mount whichever you pick 5-20 feet up on a live tree trunk or pole, facing south, and expect a slower move-in than a bluebird box — nuthatches are just as happy in a natural cavity when one’s available.
Nuthatches are the backyard bird everyone recognizes but almost nobody puts up a dedicated box for. NestWatch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) lists a 1.25-inch entrance hole for both White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches — nearly identical to the spec used for chickadees and titmice — yet describes nuthatch box occupancy as uncommon compared to bluebirds or wrens, mainly because nuthatches are content with a natural woodpecker cavity in a dead tree when one’s still standing. The catch: most residential and suburban yards have had those dead “snag” trees removed for decades, which is exactly the gap a nest box fills. Here’s what to buy and how to set it up.
Nuthatch boxes by the numbers
- A 1.25-inch entrance hole. NestWatch’s official spec for both White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches — slightly larger than a chickadee’s 1.125-inch hole, and a near-match for a titmouse box.
- 5 to 20 feet of mounting height. NestWatch’s recommended range, attached to a live tree or a pole, with a south-facing entrance.
- An 8-inch interior depth. NestWatch specifies roughly 5.5 x 5.5 inches of floor space and 8 inches of depth inside the cavity for White-breasted Nuthatches — deep enough to keep eggs and nestlings out of easy reach from the entrance.
- 1-inch hole for Brown-headed Nuthatches. A smaller southeastern-pine-forest specialist that needs a tighter entrance than its White-breasted and Red-breasted cousins to keep larger cavity competitors out.
Our top picks at a glance
| House | Best for | Material | Entrance hole | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coveside Nuthatch House | Best overall | Pine | 1.25" round | $62.99 |
| Nature Niche Cedar Nuthatch Box | Best predator guard | Cedar | 1.25" round | $39.50 |
| Kettle Moraine Nuthatch & Titmouse Box | Best dual-species pick | Recycled poly lumber | 1.25" round | $50.00 |
1. Coveside Nuthatch House — Best Overall
Coveside Nuthatch House
- 0.75-inch thick natural pine, 8"L x 5.75"W x 12.5"H, built and finished in the USA by Coveside — the same maker behind several other species-specific houses covered on this site.
- 1.25-inch round entrance hole matches the NestWatch spec for both White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches.
- Downward-sloping roof for rain runoff, ventilation slots, and corner drainage holes to keep the interior dry.
- Mounts to a tree or a post with the included metal hanger and predrilled hole.
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Coveside’s pine build is the reason to start here: the 1.25-inch hole is cut to the exact NestWatch spec, the sloped roof and drainage holes handle weather better than flatter budget boxes, and the pine construction matches the quality of Coveside’s other songbird and raptor houses. The tree-or-post mounting hardware is included, so there’s nothing extra to buy before you hang it.
Mount it on a live tree trunk if you have one 5-20 feet up — nuthatches evolved using old woodpecker cavities in standing trees, so a trunk mount in a wooded or semi-wooded yard tends to get discovered faster than a bare pole in an open lawn.
2. Nature Niche Amish-Made Cedar Nuthatch Box — Best Predator Guard
Nature Niche Amish-Made Cedar Nuthatch Box
- High-grade 3/4-inch cedar, Amish-built in the USA, 13.5"H x 6"W x 8"D outer dimensions with a 3.75" x 4.5" interior cavity.
- 1.25-inch entrance hole with a built-in wooden predator guard around the opening — a thicker recessed collar that makes it harder for squirrels and raccoons to reach in and enlarge the hole.
- Hinged front panel secured by a metal pull pin for easy end-of-season cleanout and nest checks.
- Corner drainage cutouts and ventilation holes for airflow, natural cedar needs no paint or sealant.
The built-in predator guard is the standout feature here — a recessed wooden collar around the 1.25-inch hole that resists the gnawing squirrels and other cavity-competitors sometimes use to widen an entrance over a season or two. At $39.50 it’s also the cheapest of the three picks, and the cedar construction is naturally rot- and insect-resistant without needing any finish.
3. Kettle Moraine Nuthatch & Titmouse Box — Best Dual-Species Pick
Kettle Moraine Nuthatch & Titmouse Box (Recycled Poly Lumber)
- Built from recycled poly lumber, which won't rot, splinter, or need repainting the way an all-wood box eventually will.
- Marketed explicitly for both nuthatches and Tufted Titmice, which share nearly the same 1.25-inch cavity requirement.
- Kettle Moraine's build quality matches the recycled-plastic houses this site has already covered for mourning doves and other cavity-nesters.
- Low-maintenance option for a box you plan to mount somewhere hard to reach or inspect often.
If you’d rather not commit to one species, this is the practical choice: nuthatches and titmice want nearly the same cavity, so a single recycled-poly box gives you a real shot at either tenant while skipping the wood-maintenance question entirely. It’s a good pick for a spot you won’t get back to for a repaint or reseal.
How to choose a nuthatch nest box
- Match the 1.25-inch hole spec. That’s the NestWatch standard for White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches; Brown-headed Nuthatches in the Southeast need a tighter 1-inch hole instead.
- Mount 5-20 feet up on a live tree or pole, facing south. A trunk mount in a wooded or semi-wooded yard mimics the natural woodpecker cavities nuthatches are used to finding.
- Add a predator guard. A metal hole-guard plate or a recessed wooden collar (like Nature Niche’s) keeps squirrels and raccoons from gnawing the entrance wider.
- Don’t expect instant move-in. NestWatch calls nuthatch box occupancy uncommon compared to bluebirds or wrens — they’re just as happy in a natural cavity when one’s available, so patience matters more than box placement tricks.
- Leave the box up through winter. White-breasted Nuthatches sometimes roost in boxes outside the breeding season, so a box left mounted year-round can see use beyond just spring nesting.
- Consider a dual-rated box. Since nuthatches, titmice, and chickadees all want a hole in the 1.125-1.25 inch range, a combo-marketed box (like the Kettle Moraine pick) isn’t a compromise — it’s the same cavity spec most of these species already share.
Nuthatches join the rest of the site’s cavity-nester lineup: our best bird feeder for nuthatches guide covers feeding them at your existing feeders, our best bird house guide covers general songbird boxes for species like chickadees and wrens, and our best bird feeder for woodpeckers guide covers the species whose old cavities nuthatches naturally reuse in the wild. Sharing that same box with a titmouse instead? Our best titmouse nest box guide covers the near-identical 1.25-inch spec titmice need, plus why they’re famous for lining nests with fur plucked off live animals.
The bottom line
The Coveside Nuthatch House is the best nuthatch nest box for most people — pine construction cut to the exact 1.25-inch NestWatch spec, a weatherproof sloped roof, and included mounting hardware, for $62.99. If you want a built-in predator guard at a lower price, the Nature Niche Cedar Nuthatch Box covers that for $39.50, and the Kettle Moraine Nuthatch & Titmouse Box is the low-maintenance, dual-species pick at $48. Whichever you choose, remember what actually matters: a 1.25-inch hole, a tree-trunk or pole mount 5-20 feet up facing south, and patience — nuthatches move into a box on their own schedule, not yours.