BTO Nestbox Guide
The latest BTO Nestbox Guide, published in 2004, contains instructions on how to build artificial nest sites for 24 different species.
The latest edition differs from the previous one, published in 1993. Whereas the 1993 edition gave brief accounts of all known artificial nest site designs, the 2004 edition focuses on species that are known to take to artifical sites and gives expanded accounts of successful designs for those species. Because the 1993 guide covers a broader range of species, though in less detail, it has been made available as a free PDF download to supplement the latest edition.
The table below lists all species that are known have used artificial sites and tells you which guide has information about them. Where a species is covered in the 1993 guide only, the page number of the PDF download is given.
| English Name | Scientific Name | Type of Box | Information available |
| Barn Owl | Tyto alba | Large hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Bearded Tit | Panurus biarmicus | Wigwam (special design) | Not yet included |
| Black Guillemot (Tystie) | Cepphus grylle | Tunnel | 26 |
| Black-necked Grebe | Podiceps nigricollis | Raft/island | Not yet included |
| Black Redstart | Phoenicurus ochruros | Small open fronted | 31 |
| Black-throated Diver | Gavia arctica | Raft/island | 21 |
| Blackbird | Turdus merula | Platform | 31 |
| Blue Tit | Parus caeruleus | Small hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Canada Goose | Branta canadensis | Raft/island | 22 |
| Coal Tit | Parus ater | Small hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Common Tern | Sterna hirundo | Raft/island | 26 |
| Coot | Fulica atra | Raft/island | 25 |
| Crested Tit | Parus cristatus | Small hole entrance | 32 |
| Dipper | Cinclus cinclus | Small open fronted | 31 |
| Feral Pigeon | Columba livia | Large hole entrance | 27 |
| Goldeneye | Bucephala clangula | Large hole entrance | 23 |
| Goosander | Mergus merganser | Large hole entrance | 24 |
| Goshawk | Accipiter gentilis | Basket | 24 |
| Great Crested Grebe | Podiceps cristatus | Raft/island | 21 |
| Great Northern Diver | Gavia immer | Raft/island | 21 |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | Dendrocopos major | Medium hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Great Tit | Parus major | Small hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Green Woodpecker | Picus viridis | Medium hole entrance | 29 |
| Grey Wagtail | Motacilla cinerea | Small open fronted | 30 |
| Greylag Goose | Anser anser | Raft/island | 22 |
| Hobby | Falco subbuteo | Basket | 24 |
| Hoopoe | Upupa epops | Medium hole entrance | Not yet included |
| House Martin | Delichon urbica | Special | Latest BTO Guide |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Small hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Jackdaw | Corvus monedula | Large hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Kestrel | Falco tinnunculus | Latest BTO Guide | |
| Kingfisher | Alcedo atthis | Tunnel | 28 |
| Kittiwake | Rissa tridactyla | Platform | 25 |
| Lesser Spotted Woodpecker | Dendrocopos minor | Medium hole entrance | 29 |
| Little Owl | Athene noctua | Large hole entrance | 27 |
| Little Tern | Sterna albifrons | Platform | 26 |
| Long-eared Owl | Asio otus | Basket | 28 |
| Mallard | Anas platyrhynchos | Large hole entrance | 23 |
| Mandarin | Aix galericulata | Large hole entrance | 23 |
| Manx Shearwater | Puffinus puffinus | Tunnel | 22 |
| Marsh Tit | Parus palustris | Small hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Merlin | Falco columbarius | Basket | 24 |
| Moorhen | Gallinula chloropus | Raft/island | 25 |
| Mute Swan | Cygnus olor | Raft/island | 22 |
| Nightjar | Caprimulgus europaeus | Scrape | 28 |
| Nuthatch | Sitta europaea | Small hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | Basket | 24 |
| Oystercatcher | Haematopus ostralegus | Platform | Not yet included |
| Peregrine | Falco peregrinus | Platform | 24 |
| Pied Flycatcher | Ficedula hypoleuca | Small hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Pied Wagtail | Motacilla alba | Small open front | Latest BTO Guide |
| Puffin | Fratercula arctica | Tunnel | 22 |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Mergus serrator | Tunnel | 24 |
| Red Kite | Milvus milvus | Basket | 24 |
| Red-throated Diver | Gavia stellata | Raft/island | 21 |
| Redstart | Phoenicurus phoenicurus | Small hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Ring-necked Parakeet | Psittacula krameri | Large hole entrance | 27 |
| Robin | Erithacus rubecula | Small open front | Latest BTO Guide |
| Roseate Tern | Sterna dougallii | Tunnel | 25 |
| Sand Martin | Riparia riparia | Tunnel | 30 |
| Short-toed Treecreeper | Certhia brachydactyla | Special small hole entrance | Not yet included |
| Shelduck | Tadorna tadorna | Tunnel | 22 |
| Slavonian Grebe | Podiceps auritus | Raft/island | Not yet included |
| Spotted Flycatcher | Muscicapa striata | Small open front | Latest BTO Guide |
| Starling | Sturnus vulgaris | Medium hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Stock Dove | Columba oenas | Large hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Storm Petrel | Hydrobates pelagicus | Tunnel | 22 |
| Swallow | Hirundo rustica | Open cup | Latest BTO Guide |
| Swift | Apus apus | Special hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Tawny Owl | Strix aluco | Large hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Tree Sparrow | Passer montanus | Small hole entrance | Latest BTO Guide |
| Treecreeper | Certhia familiaris | Special small hole entrance | 32 |
| Wheatear | Oenanthe oenanthe | Tunnel | 31 |
| Willow Tit | Parus montanus | Small hole entrance | 32 |
| Wood Duck | Aix sponsa | Large hole entrance | Not yet included |
| Wren | Troglodytes troglodytes | Small open front | Latest BTO Guide |
| Wryneck | Jynx torquilla | Medium hole entrance | 29 |
Download a PDF of the 1993 BTO Nest Box Guide here.
