Quick Answer: The best titmouse nest box in 2026 is the Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow Bird House — solid pine sized for Tufted Titmice and several similar cavity-nesters, $62.99 direct from Coveside. The Plateau Land & Wildlife Titmouse Nest Box ($40 plus tax, cedar) is built specifically with titmice in mind, and the Kettle Moraine Recycled Nuthatch & Titmouse Nest Box ($50, HDPE poly lumber) is the low-maintenance dual-species pick. NestWatch’s spec calls for a 1.25-inch entrance hole, a 5.5 x 5.5-inch floor, and mounting 5 to 15 feet up facing away from the prevailing wind — and yes, titmice really do pluck fur off live, sleeping mammals to line their nests.
Tufted Titmice are one of the most common backyard feeder visitors in the eastern half of the country, yet almost no manufacturer sells a box built just for them. NestWatch (Cornell Lab of Ornithology) lists a 1.25-inch entrance hole for titmice — nearly identical to the spec for chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches — which is exactly why the boxes below are mostly multi-species houses rather than titmouse-only products. That’s not a compromise; it’s the same cavity these birds already compete for in the wild. Here’s what to buy and how to set it up.
Titmouse nest boxes by the numbers
- A 1.25-inch entrance hole. NestWatch’s official Cornell Lab spec for Tufted Titmice — some general guides list a slightly wider 1 3/8 to 1.5-inch range as acceptable, but 1.25 inches is the number to build or buy to.
- A 5.5 x 5.5-inch floor and 8-inch interior depth. NestWatch’s cavity dimensions, deep enough to keep eggs and nestlings out of easy reach from the entrance hole.
- 5 to 15 feet of mounting height, facing away from the prevailing wind. Unlike bluebird or nuthatch boxes, NestWatch doesn’t specify a compass direction for titmice — just keep the entrance out of the wind.
- 580 feet of recommended spacing between boxes. Titmice defend a large nesting territory, so NestWatch recommends this minimum distance if you’re putting up more than one box.
Our top picks at a glance
| House | Best for | Material | Entrance hole | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow House | Best overall | Pine | 1.5" round | $62.99 |
| Plateau Land & Wildlife Titmouse Nest Box | Best titmouse-specific | Cedar | 1.25" round | $40.00 |
| Kettle Moraine Recycled Nuthatch & Titmouse Box | Best dual-species pick | Recycled HDPE poly | 1.25" round | $50.00 |
1. Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow Bird House — Best Overall
Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow Bird House
- 0.75-inch thick natural pine, 8.25"L x 5.75"W x 12.5"H, built and finished in the USA by Coveside.
- 1.5-inch round entrance hole — sized to cover titmice alongside warblers and Tree Swallows in one multi-species house.
- Downward-sloping roof for rain runoff, ventilation slots, and corner drainage holes.
- 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 0.75-inch stock and sloped roof hold up to weather better than flatter budget boxes, and the 1.5-inch hole is wide enough to also draw Tree Swallows or warblers if a titmouse doesn’t claim it first season. If you want the entrance sized to NestWatch’s exact 1.25-inch titmouse figure instead, see pick #2 below.
Mount it 5 to 15 feet up, facing away from whichever direction your prevailing wind comes from — NestWatch doesn’t call for a specific compass orientation for titmice the way it does for bluebirds.
2. Plateau Land & Wildlife Titmouse Nest Box — Best Titmouse-Specific
Plateau Land & Wildlife Management Titmouse Nest Box
- Cedar construction, naturally rot- and insect-resistant without paint or sealant.
- Built to the 1.25-inch entrance hole and marketed directly for titmice, alongside wrens, bluebirds, and chickadees.
- Sold direct from the manufacturer rather than through a third-party marketplace listing.
This is the closest thing on the market to a titmouse-only box: Plateau Land & Wildlife Management builds it to the 1.25-inch NestWatch spec and names titmice first in its own product listing, rather than treating them as an afterthought on a warbler or bluebird house. At $40 plus tax it’s also the cheapest of the three picks here.
3. Kettle Moraine Recycled Nuthatch & Titmouse Nest Box — Best Dual-Species Pick
Kettle Moraine Recycled Nuthatch & Titmouse Nest Box
- Built from recycled HDPE (milk-jug) lumber, which won't rot, splinter, or need repainting.
- 1.25-inch entrance hole, 11"H x 7"W x 8"D with a 4" x 4" interior floor, marketed for both titmice and nuthatches.
- Same maker and material as the nuthatch-focused version covered on our best nuthatch nest box guide.
- Low-maintenance option for a box you plan to mount somewhere hard to reach or inspect often.
Nuthatches and titmice want nearly the same cavity, so this 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, and the plastic construction shrugs off the weather better than any of the wooden options here.
How to choose a titmouse nest box
- Match the 1.25-inch hole spec. That’s NestWatch’s Cornell Lab figure for Tufted Titmice; a wider hole up to about 1.5 inches will still work but also opens the door to other tenants like Tree Swallows.
- Mount 5-15 feet up, facing away from the prevailing wind. No specific compass direction is required — just keep the entrance sheltered from whichever way the wind usually blows.
- Space multiple boxes at least 580 feet apart. Titmice defend a larger nesting territory than chickadees or wrens, so crowding boxes close together works against you.
- Consider a dual-rated box. Since titmice, chickadees, and White-breasted Nuthatches all want a hole in the 1.125-1.5 inch range, a combo-marketed box isn’t a compromise — it’s the same cavity these species already share in the wild.
- Check which bird is actually pictured. Some US listings labeled “titmouse house” show a European Great Tit — a different species found only in Europe and Asia — rather than the North American Tufted Titmouse. The hole size may still fit, but it’s worth knowing the label is a mismatch.
- Don’t be surprised by the fur. Titmice line their nests with animal hair and fur — sometimes plucked directly from live, resting mammals — so don’t panic if you find a nest full of what looks like pet or wildlife hair when you clean the box out.
Titmice join the rest of the site’s cavity-nester lineup: our best nuthatch nest box guide covers the near-identical spec these two species share, our best bird house guide covers general songbird boxes for species like chickadees and wrens, and our best bird feeder for small birds guide covers feeding titmice at your existing feeders rather than nesting them.
The bottom line
The Coveside Titmouse, Warbler & Tree Swallow Bird House is the best titmouse nest box for most people — pine construction, a weatherproof sloped roof, and included mounting hardware for $62.99. If you want a box sized to NestWatch’s exact 1.25-inch titmouse spec and marketed for titmice specifically, the Plateau Land & Wildlife Titmouse Nest Box covers that for $40, and the Kettle Moraine Recycled Nuthatch & Titmouse Box is the low-maintenance, dual-species pick at $50. Whichever you choose, remember what actually matters: a roughly 1.25-inch hole, a mount 5-15 feet up away from the wind, and about 580 feet of spacing if you’re putting up more than one.