Bird houses are cool. Everyone likes the idea of putting one up and attracting a little winged family in their backyard. But what type of bird box works best in the greater Los Angeles area? Turns out, that's a tough question to answer. But we've asked around and learned a few things, and we've got some advice. (photo by Bewick's Wren by Dave Menke/USFWS)

If you live near the beach, say in Hermosa Beach or Santa Monica, it's unlikely that you'll have much luck with a bird house. The reason is that there likely aren't many cavity nesting birds residing in these seaside areas that are also largely suburban. This isn't to say that you'll come up empty if you put one up. But if you do get some birds in there, it will likely be House Sparrows, which aren't popular in the birding community, but can nonetheless bring some life to your backyard.

However, if you live in the hills, or adjacent to large swaths of open space (places like Palos Verdes, Malibu, San Gabriels, etc.), your prospects are much better. A simple bird house for wrens (here's an easy one to build) can attract Bewick's Wrens, House Wrens, and who knows what else. Just be sure to maintain the house in the proper manner.

I recently had an email conversation with Martin Byhower from the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society. He said that he had enjoyed House Wrens, House Finches, and Mourning Doves in pole mounted boxes in the Palos Verdes area.

Byhower also noted the success of the Southern California Bluebird Club in attracting Western Bluebirds to the Los Angeles area. Apparently, they've used bluebird boxes to great success at places like Ken Malloy/Harbor Regional Park in Wilmington. Not sure what kind of luck you'd have putting up a bluebird box in your backyard, though, as the club is of the opinion that you need a really large space and a series of boxes several hundred yards apart. Anyway, you can learn a lot of things in a few minutes tooling around the club's website.

But these are just some initial thoughts. If you've got some ideas, please share in the comments. And we'll definitely revisit the topic again soon.