Why Do Birds Keep Flying Into My House? (6 Reasons WHY!)

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Ever had birds fly into your houses and wondered why in the world they would do so?

So, I took on the challenge to research more and answer the question: “why do birds keep flying into my house?!”

Here’s the simple answer:

Birds keep flying into houses because they are either being misguided by indoor lights, finding food, finding shelter, finding warmth, finding a place to nest, or simply by pure mistake. Examples of birds that often fly into houses include mynahs, crows, magpies, and sparrows, depending on geographical location.

Now you’ve known these reasons, I will now cover all of these reasons in detail, and cover more information on dealing with birds that have entered your house. Read on to find out more information!

Why Birds Keep Flying Into Your House (Detailed Explanation)

Ever had a bird problem like this and wondered why and how?

Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Because birds are so diverse and the reasons why they might enter your house may vary, here are a few reasons why they would do so:

1) Misguided by Indoor Lights

Of all the reasons why birds keep flying into your house, this has to be the greatest one! IF you leave your windows open and lights on during the night, it’s highly likely that birds will get confused by these lights and enter your house.

Why? This is because, during the migration seasons of spring and fall, many birds will fly long distances at night to get to their destination.

I wrote an article answering whether birds fly at night, check it out here!

Do Birds Fly at Night? (Biologist Reveals a Curious Answer!)

Along the way, they get confused by the lights of your house at night, mistaking it somehow for daybreak, and end up entering your house!

In fact, the problem of birds entering homes or crashing into windows of homes at night is such a huge problem that scientists have launched a program called Lights Out to educate and get the public to turn out their lights during migration.

Here’s a video with more information on this:

Scientists have also discovered that just by covering half of your window, you can reduce bird fatalities by a whopping 50%. [1] Fewer fatalities also mean fewer birds flying into your home. Here’s a graph to explain it:

The gist of the graph: If windows are lit, there’s a 76% increase in fatalities. If windows are not list, there’s a 54% decrease in windows lit!

If you’re also curious as to why birds love to fly around at sunset, check out this article I wrote all about it!

Why Do Birds Fly At Sunset? (Biologist Explains a Curious Answer!)

More measures to counter birds flying into your room at night are at the bottom of the article!

2) To Find Food

Here’s also another infamous reason why birds keep trying to enter your home: to find food!

Whether you love birds like me or hate birds like my cousin, birds are still hungry little creatures and maintain a high metabolism to need to constantly feed throughout the day.

With scraps of food lying around your home available to the birds, it’s quite obvious that they will help themselves to the easy food compared to hunting out in the wild!

Check out an article I wrote on what time of day birds feed here!

What Time Of Day Do Birds Feed? (Surprising ANSWER!)

If you keep your windows open and you happen to live near a more natural environment (trees/forest), then you should be extra careful!

Don’t allow birds to come into your kitchen often to pick up food.

By allowing them in so often, it can actually cultivate a habit in them to drop by for some easy food, then it will be hard to stop them from coming!

3) To Find Shelter

Birds naturally live in a natural environment where there is no proper shelter from the weather elements. If you live in a climate that rains often or has very harsh sun during the summer, then birds can actually fly into your home for shelter!

On sunny days, birds can seek respite from the scorching heat under the shade of your patio/balcony/porch. During thunderstorms, birds may seek temporary shelter in your home as it may be dangerous out in the trees.

If you’re curious whether birds can fly in the rain, check this article out!

Can Birds Fly In The Rain? – A Helpful Explanation

4) To Find Warmth

If birds can seek your home as a refuge from the sun and rain, they can also seek warmth in your home!

During winter when the temperature can be really cold outside, birds may be attracted to the perfectly heated indoors or the cozy fireplace you have in your house!

Birds do all they can to survive the harsh winter, especially those that don’t migrate for the winter, like the Northern Cardinal.

If you’re curious why birds like the Northern Cardinal stay for the winter, check out this article I wrote with the full answer!

Why Do Some Birds Stay For Winter? (8 SURPRISING Reasons!)

5) To Find A Place To Nest

If you know a thing or two about birds, you will know that they start building their nests from April to June every year. This is to prepare to lay eggs and raise their young.

Viewing your home as a perfect respite from the natural surroundings of your home, they may fly into your home to seek a place to nest and raise their young.

Birds particularly like to build nests in or around chimneys!

I’ve heard many stories of people getting birds building their nests in chimneys and some of them even get stuck in them.

If you’re wondering which time of the year birds tend to build their nests, check out an article I wrote about when birds start to lay eggs here!

Do Birds Lay Eggs All Year? (Must-Read SURPRISING Answer!)

Birds love to nest in chimneys because it provides warmth and it’s a good hiding place from predators around because it is so occluded. I highlight measures to prevent birds in chimneys at the bottom of this article!

6) By Pure Mistake

If all the above 5 listed reasons are ruled out, you can make the conclusion that birds flew in by pure mistake.

The above shows a poor kingfisher who probably crashed head-on to transparent-like surfaces like windows. Really unfortunate.

Check out an article I wrote about whether birds die when they fly into windows:

Do Birds Die When They Fly Into Windows? (ANSWERED!)

Some birds are not as clever and may lack the ability to recognize that a human’s house is a place of potential danger. In general, birds are skittish and are aware of human presence, and will avoid us if possible.

However, inexperienced birds may still fly into your house by pure mistake, thinking that they would be able to navigate and get out the other end, but only to be trapped in it!

How Do Birds Get Into Houses?

Birds get into houses from any opening small enough for a bird to fit in. Examples of such avenues are open windows, doors, ventilation systems, and chimneys. In most cases, birds can fly into homes without a person knowing where from and when.

I have even heard in some cases where others have birds flying into their houses when they were just collecting their Amazon package! Those sneaky little birds!

Of all the ways birds get into houses, birds that enter homes through the chimney give the most problems as it does not allow for them to fly out easily, rendering them stuck!

How To Stop Birds From Flying Into Your House?

You’ve read up till now about how birds enter houses, but how do you actually stop them from flying into your house. I have a few ninja hacks and prevention measures for you that can stop this problem once and for all:

1) Hang Up Old CDs

This is a dirty old trick that has been passed down from Asian households for generations and has always worked. Remember all the CDs that we all used to have? Here’s a good use for them now.

Tie up CDs that you don’t want with strings to the top of your window or porch. The reflection will scare birds away because of its shimmering in the sunlight

However, for some, this may not work when birds get too used to it!

2) Install A Window Mesh

If you don’t mind having a mesh covering your porch or kitchen window, then installing a window mesh can be a really quick and painless solution to prevent birds from entering once and for all without sacrificing ventilation.

Here’s an Amazon link to purchase one: https://amzn.to/3wKIbZZ

3) Install A Window Film/Screen

If you don’t want to install a window mesh that can really change the way your house looks from the outside, consider installing a window film or screen instead.

Birds are clever creatures with very keen eyesight and can spot food from very far away. By installing a film or screen that can fit your window, they won’t be able to see the food that’s in your kitchen. Problem solved.

Also, you get less harmful UV rays in your home! Here’s an Amazon link to purchase one.

4) Put Out A Fake Dead Crow

If you don’t want to install any window screens or mesh but want a more organic way of scaring crows and birds away, consider putting out a fake dead crow.

Crows are scared of dead crows as that would be associated with danger, which will keep them away. Really effective for crows! Don’t believe me? Read the Amazon reviews in the links below.

Here’s an Amazon link to purchase a fake standing crow and a fake hanging crow. Do check them out!

Oh, if you’re wondering if birds are scared of humans, I wrote a detailed answer in this other post I wrote!

Are Birds Scared of Humans? (A Surprising ANSWER!)

5) Block Out All The Light At Night

As mentioned above in the article, birds can be attracted to light at night when they migrate throughout the night.

Simply drawing your curtains and closing all doors and windows at night will reduce the number of migratory birds that can enter your house!

Interested in learning about when birds migrate throughout the night, have a look BirdCast’s live bird migration maps!

6) Install A Chimney Cap

A chimney cap works great for you if you have any problems with birds entering your house through the chimney or nesting in it.

Birds enter chimneys to nest because of their warmth and protection from predators, but they can get stuck in there often and can create a mess in your fireplace.

Consider installing a chimney cap to prevent birds from entering! Here’s an Amazon link to one that works well for most chimneys.

7) Don’t Leave Food Out

Here’s a simple habit to cultivate if you have birds constantly rushing into your homes to steal food. Don’t leave any food out that can tempt birds! Birds, with their keen eyesight, can spot food from far away.

And if they get used to stealing food from you in the long term, they will get used to feeding on the free buffet at your house rather than hunting out in the outdoors.

8) Close All Windows and Doors

To prevent birds from entering your house, the easiest solution can be to simply shut your doors and windows! If they cannot enter your house, they won’t keep flying into your house!

Also, be careful when you are opening your doors and windows, as birds can be very fast in swooping down to slip into your house!

How To Get Birds Out Of Your House?

If you’ve got a bird stuck in your home, don’t panic – it can be an easy problem to solve! Here are some tips on how to get your feathered friend back outside again:

1. Remain Calm – Birds can sense your emotions and calming yourself will help keep the bird calm as well.
2. Open All Windows and Doors – This will give the bird an opportunity to fly out if it sees a clear path away from you.
3. Cover Mirrors – Covering mirrors may help direct the bird towards an open window or door since they will not see their reflection anymore and therefore won’t be distracted by it.
4. Try Darkening the Room – If the bird is still not flying away, try covering windows and closing blinds to darken the room and make it easier for them to find their way out.
5. Place a Box Outside – Place a box like an old cardboard box outside with one side propped open with sticks or rocks so that the bird can easily fly inside if needed, then cover all sides except for one which you can leave uncovered or slightly covered with something light like paper or tissue paper so that they can fly out safely when they’re ready.

There you go! I hope you really do manage to get them out of your house safely and calmly!

Why Are Birds Trying To Get Into My House?

Birds try to get into houses because they are either misguided by indoor lights at night, attempting to seek food, shelter, warmth, or a nesting place, or sometimes by pure mistake.

How Do Birds Come Into The House With No Windows Open?

Birds come into houses with no windows open through chimneys, vents, fans, and small unknown holes in the house. The majority of birds that fly into houses with no windows open are through chimneys because birds often fall into the chimney when using it to keep warm.

Why Are There So Many Birds Flying Around My House?

Many birds fly around houses if there is an insect swarm nearby that birds are diving to catch. Birds can also be seen flying around houses because they like to gather in large flocks known as murmurations, especially starlings. Birds also fly around houses if they have a nest nearby that they are attempting to defend.

How Do Birds Enter My House With No Windows Open?

Birds can enter houses with no windows open because they can enter from the chimney or from small cracks in the walls. Birds that tend to roost on chimneys may accidentally fall into the house. Birds can find their way into houses to make nests, to shelter themselves from harsh climates outside the house.

Where Do Birds Hide In Houses?

Birds hide in houses in any small crevices and cracks that they can fit in.

Examples of such locations include:

• Chimneys
• Behind curtains
• Under the beds
• Behind the doors
• Any container a bird can fit in

Final Thoughts

Now you know all the reasons why birds would keep trying to fly into your house and some simple measures to counter that and prevent future occurrences.

All that’s left for you to do is implement them! Thanks for reading and all the best!

References

1. Drivers of fatal bird collisions in an urban center. Benjamin M. Van Doren, David E. Willard, Mary Hennen, Kyle G. Horton, Erica F. Stuber, Daniel Sheldon, Ashwin H. Sivakumar, Julia Wang, Andrew Farnsworth, Benjamin M. Winger Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jun 2021, 118 (24) e2101666118; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2101666118