1 Scope
This British Standard specifies requirements for the selection and installation of
integral nest boxes in buildings within new developments, including traditional, modular and modern methods of construction intended for new build developments for:
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a) residential;
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b) commercial, industrial and public buildings; and
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c) renovation and refurbishment of a) or b).
This British Standard covers the design and installation of integral nest boxes associated,
principally, with the following bird species:
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1) swift (Apus apus);
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2) starling (Sturnus vulgaris);
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3) great tit (Parus major);
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4) blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus); and
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5) house sparrow (Passer domesticus).
NOTE 1 There are a number of other bird species that nest in cavities which could be accommodated
in integral nest boxes.
This British Standard does not cover installation of:
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i) integral nest boxes in buildings where the surface is primarily glass, as glass surfaces
present well-known and fatal hazards for birds, or in metal-framed buildings with
any form of insulated or fire-rated cladding; and
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ii) exterior bird boxes.
NOTE 2 Examples of species that might breed in external nest boxes in the built environment
include little owl, barn owl, tawny owl, kestrel, peregrine, stock dove, jackdaw,
black redstart, pied wagtail, spotted flycatcher, robin, wren, tree sparrow, swallow
and house martin.
NOTE 3 For other species using exterior bird boxes, a competent person can advise on the species of bird that are present and suitable mitigation for them.
Expert advice is also available from Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB),
British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and species-specific groups, e.g. Swift Conservation,
Action for Swifts, Hawk and Owl Trust, Barn Owl Trust, Wildlife Trust, Wildfowl and
Wetland Trust. See Annex A for a list of relevant sources of advice.
This British Standard is relevant to professionals and contractors involved in the
selection, procurement and installation of integral nest boxes, including competent persons such as ornithologists, ecologists, architects, town planners and building contractors.