Quick Answer: The best tree swallow nest box in 2026 is the Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow Bird House — solid pine built to the NestWatch-recommended 1.5-inch entrance hole, around $63, and multi-species enough to also draw titmice or prothonotary warblers if swallows pass it up. On a budget, a dedicated HDPE composite swallow house covers the same hole size for around $15-$23. Mount whichever box you pick 5-6 feet up on a smooth pole near open water or a field, skip the perch, and pair two boxes 15-20 feet apart if bluebirds are also active nearby.
Tree Swallows have had a rougher few decades than the bluebirds they compete with for nest boxes. Partners in Flight’s Avian Conservation Assessment Database puts the current North American population at roughly 19 million birds, but the North American Breeding Bird Survey shows a cumulative decline of about 40% since 1970 — even as Eastern Bluebirds, which use the exact same 1.5-inch nest-box hole, climbed an estimated 178% over that same span thanks to decades of nest-box campaigns. The difference isn’t box availability; it’s that swallows are aerial insectivores, and researchers point to declining flying-insect abundance, pesticide bioaccumulation in their prey, and shifting insect-hatch timing from a warming climate as the likely drivers. A nest box won’t fix insect decline, but a well-placed one over open water still gives a pair somewhere safe to raise a brood — and 55 years of Tree Swallow monitoring by Birds Canada has used exactly that kind of box network to track the species’ health. Here’s what to buy and how to set it up.
Tree swallow boxes by the numbers
- A 1.5-inch entrance hole. NestWatch specifies the same 1.5-inch round hole used for Eastern Bluebirds, positioned 7-8 inches above the floor — small enough to exclude European Starlings, large enough for a swallow to enter easily.
- A 5x5-inch floor. Tree Swallow boxes run slightly more compact than some bluebird-box floor plans, with roughly 5x5 inches of floor and about 8 inches of interior height from floor to ceiling.
- 5-6 feet of mounting height. NestWatch and the Tree Swallow Project both call for a smooth metal pole in the 5-6 foot range — lower than the “at least 5 feet, often higher” guidance common for bluebird trails.
- A 40% decline since 1970. The North American Breeding Bird Survey’s long-term data shows Tree Swallow numbers falling roughly 40% even as nest-box use stayed common, a sign the pressure is coming from insect food supply, not a lack of cavities.
Our top picks at a glance
| House | Best for | Material | Entrance hole | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow Bird House | Best overall | Eastern pine | 1.5" round | around $63 |
| Woodlink NABB Audubon Cedar Bluebird House | Best dual-purpose (swallows + bluebirds) | Cedar | 1.5"-1.56" round | around $45-$60 |
| Kingsyard Recycled Plastic Bird House | Best low-maintenance | Recycled poly lumber | 1.5" round | around $35 |
| HDPE Composite Swallow House with Cedar Hanging Board | Best budget/dedicated-swallow-branded | HDPE composite + cedar | 1.5" round | around $15-$23 |
1. Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow Bird House — Best Overall
Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow Bird House
- Solid 0.75-inch-thick pine, left unfinished so it ages naturally to gray outdoors — the same build quality as Coveside's bluebird and owl-box lines covered elsewhere on this site.
- 1.5-inch entrance hole matches the NestWatch spec exactly, and the box is explicitly sized to also suit titmice and prothonotary warblers if a swallow pair doesn't claim it first.
- 8.25"L x 5.75"W x 12.5"H exterior dimensions give more interior headroom than a bare-minimum swallow box.
- Hinged panel for the end-of-season cleanout NestWatch recommends for every cavity-nester box.
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Coveside’s multi-species design is the practical reason this is the pick to start with: because titmice, prothonotary warblers, and Tree Swallows all use a 1.5-inch hole and similar cavity dimensions, one box gives you a real shot at a tenant even if swallows aren’t nesting nearby yet. The pine construction and hinged cleanout panel match the build quality of Coveside’s other species-specific houses, so you’re not sacrificing durability for the broader appeal.
Mount it on a smooth metal pole 5-6 feet up, ideally with a clear flight path to open water or a field, and skip adding a perch — it only helps competing House Sparrows get a foothold.
2. Woodlink NABB Audubon Cedar Bluebird House — Best Dual-Purpose Pick
Woodlink NABB Audubon Cedar Bluebird House
- Natural cedar, rot- and insect-resistant without paint or sealant — the same house covered on our best bluebird house guide, since Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds compete for the identical 1.5-inch-hole box.
- Manufactured under license from the National Audubon Society, with vented sides and floor drainage.
- Because it's a genuinely dual-purpose box, it's the one to buy in pairs — set two 15-20 feet apart and let swallows and bluebirds sort out which pair takes which box.
- Lower price point than solid pine houses of similar size.
If you already have (or want) bluebirds on the same property, this is the house to buy two of. Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds both want a 1.5-inch hole and open habitat, and rather than fight that competition, bluebird-trail managers pair boxes 15-20 feet apart — a swallow pair typically claims one, leaving the bluebirds the other instead of displacing them from the area entirely.
The cedar build needs no finishing and typically costs less than a comparable solid-pine box, making a pair an easier buy than two premium pine houses.
3. Kingsyard Recycled Plastic Bird House — Best Low-Maintenance
Kingsyard Recycled Plastic Bird House
- Recycled-plastic body marketed explicitly for bluebird, wren, swallow, and finch use — won't warp, crack, or need resealing the way wood eventually does.
- 1.5-inch entrance hole with a built-in predator guard extending the depth of the opening.
- Clear view panel lets you check nesting progress without opening the box and disturbing a brood.
- Same recycled-poly build covered on our best bluebird house roundup, since the dimensions serve both species identically.
If you’re mounting a box somewhere near water that you won’t inspect often, the maintenance-free plastic body is worth the tradeoff in looks. It hits the same 1.5-inch NestWatch hole spec and includes a predator guard, so function isn’t compromised — you’re just getting a longer-lasting box instead of a natural-wood finish.
4. HDPE Composite Swallow House with Cedar Hanging Board — Best Budget/Dedicated-Swallow Pick
HDPE Composite Swallow House with Cedar Hanging Board
- Marketed specifically as a tree/barn swallow house rather than a general-purpose songbird box — roughly 10"x4"x5.6" with a cedar hanging board for mounting under an eave or roofline.
- Weatherproof HDPE composite body needs no annual sealing or repainting.
- Lowest price point on this list by a wide margin, making it an easy way to add a second or third box without a big outlay.
- Best suited to structure-mounting (barn eave, shed roofline) rather than open-pole mounting in a field — check that your placement still gives a clear flight path to open water or grassland.
Barn Swallows (a related species that nests under eaves rather than in enclosed boxes) share habitat with Tree Swallows, and this composite house’s low price makes it reasonable to try in a spot a Coveside or Kingsyard box wouldn’t reach — under a barn or shed roofline near a pond, for instance — without committing much budget to a location you’re not sure will get used.
How to choose a tree swallow nest box
- Match the 1.5-inch hole spec exactly. The same measurement NestWatch uses for Eastern Bluebirds — bigger lets in starlings, smaller excludes the swallows entirely.
- Mount 5-6 feet up on a smooth metal pole. Lower than typical bluebird-box guidance, and always on a surface predators can’t climb rather than a tree trunk.
- Place it near open water or a field. Tree Swallows are aerial insectivores that feed over open water, ponds, and grassland — a wooded yard with no open sky nearby is unlikely to attract a pair.
- Skip the perch. It helps House Sparrows and other competitors more than it helps the swallows you’re trying to host.
- Pair boxes 15-20 feet apart if bluebirds are active nearby. This is the standard fix bluebird-trail managers use to let both species nest without displacing each other all season.
- Add a predator guard. A stovepipe or cone baffle on the pole keeps snakes, raccoons, and cats from reaching eggs or nestlings — the same principle used across every cavity-nester box on this site.
Tree Swallows are one of several cavity-nesters worth planning a box for beyond a standard bluebird trail: our best bluebird house guide covers the identical 1.5-inch-hole box and the pairing strategy that lets both species coexist, our best bird house guide covers smaller songbird boxes like wrens and chickadees that share the same uncoated-wood and predator-guard principles, and our best purple martin house roundup covers a different colonial aerial insectivore with its own specialized housing and spacing rules.
The bottom line
The Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow Bird House is the best tree swallow nest box for most people — solid pine built to the NestWatch 1.5-inch hole spec, with enough versatility to also draw titmice or warblers if swallows haven’t found it yet. If you already host bluebirds, buy the Woodlink NABB Audubon Cedar house in pairs and let the two species split the boxes. For a maintenance-free option, the Kingsyard Recycled Plastic house matches the same dimensions in poly lumber, and the low-cost HDPE composite swallow house is worth trying on a structure near water where you’re not sure a box will get used yet. Whichever you choose, remember what actually matters: a 1.5-inch hole, a smooth pole mounted 5-6 feet up, no perch, and a clear flight path to open water.