how do you make smaller bird traps for sparrows and starling?

That modified Swedish Crow trap design I gave you is probably the best sparrow and starling trap for large numbers.

Mist nets are effective too, if put in the right location, but much more work in removing the birds.

Keith

Build some bird houses this time of the year.

I’ve trapped hundreds of house sparrows with a trap like this that I built myself. Same trap can be used for starling but would need to make door bigger which will allow sparrows to escape. Trap is baited with cheap birdseed and once you catch one others will follow easily.
I have made some modifications to mine so if your interested I can post more pics.

Another option is the Van Ert style which are traps that fit inside a bird house. Work well during nesting season but need to be constantly monitored for non targets.

I’m Intersted in that tray could you post tha pics of your trap, do you have birds escape if they are in there too long?

I want to build one of those eventually but I am looking for a small one currently

Hopefully these pics make sense.

Trap is 10x10x28
Single entrance door in front.
A little over 1/2 way back I built a second wall with a hole in it and the black PVC angled elbow thru it with the one way door on backside. The idea is that once the birds realize they are trapped they will flutter around the inside until they find the big black hole which they will dive thru and into the back compartment where they cannot escape. This allows a guy to always leave a few bait birds in the back and not worry about them getting away.

The first traps I built did not have the compartment and occasionally a bird would escape, but the bigger the inside of trap is the less likely that is. So if you don’t want to build a secondary compartment then make your trap a little bigger and you door a little longer, most of the birds stay on the wire looking for escape routes so farther door is from edge the better.

Put access doors on top to both compartments as many native sparrows won’t go into back compartment and you will need to let them out of the front one.

Let me know if any questions or you want some different angle pics.

I can't keep the darn things out of stored green crab pots, stacked 8 high and no bait...can't imagine how many I could catch on purpose...lol

How big is the trap opening?

About 3”x3” and 5” deep. Snip the wires on end of door so they can be bent into a funnel shape.

It’s 1x1 wire and I just counted across the front and it looks more like 13” across not 10. Sorry

It’s fine, I’m gonna try and make one this summer

https://youtu.be/yBPqxLlCgrI

Another kind that you can build, they work but I’ve never had as good of luck with them.