House Sparrow Trap

thingiverse

I have a [Purple Martin House I bought at Tractor Supply](https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/royal-wing-purple-martin-house). Unfortunately, they are perfect for invasive [English/European House Sparrows](https://sparrowtraps.net/why-trap/). I took inspiration from [Traps](https://www.purplemartin.org/shop/product/dust/deluxe-universal-sparrow-trap/) [I found](http://nestboxbuilder.com/nestbox-article-hospwars.html) [online](https://www.ravenox.com/products/ravenox-universal-sparrow-and-starling-eliminator-oval-box-house-trap) to design this trap. Print the cage and front in any color you want. Cage will print in any orientation, but for less sagging print with the opening up. The front needs to be printed with the gap up since it has a rail for the door to slide into. Make sure the door is in a color that you will notice when it has been triggered (you don't want to leave a trapped bird in you bird house to starve). Verify that the front slides into the slot in the cage and can't be pushed out. Then verify that the door slides freely in the slot in the front, so that it gravity will shut it quickly when triggered. To set the trap, use two pieces of wire, one in the shape of a U attached to the bottom of the front (the holes to the left and right of the door opening). Then wrap the other wire around the "bottom" of the U and stick it through the hole in the door and front (This should hold the door up). Make sure the wire is just barely in the hole, and that it is not long enough for the "U" wire to touch the bottom of the trap (it's better if the U is bent at a 30-15 degree angle. Then, when the bird bumps/steps on the U, it will pull the wire out of the hole and to door will slam down. Assuming you printed the door in a obvious color, you'll see it when you look at your birdhouse (see images).