Hello, I am a Peace Corps volunteer living in southern Iringa region, Tanzania. I’m an amateur birder, having lived here for a year and a half and still learning about the local native species. Right now I’m working with a local primary school to turn the school campus into a wildlife habitat garden, similar to NWF certification criteria. My vision is to build bird, bat, and owl houses with the students to attract local wildlife, but I’m wondering if anyone here had suggestions about a) which species to focus on (and which are cavity nesters that would benefit most) and b) what dimensions I should make the entrance/boxes + what height(s) from the ground are preferred. (e.g. I know with bluebirds there’s a narrow window for entrance size, otherwise birds like starlings will compete for the space)
Asante sana for any help and advice!
P.S. Common birds/bats I see around the school are: Vesper bats, red-cheeked cordon bleu, bronze mannikin, yellow-fronted canary, African Pied Wagtail, Firefinches, Pitpits, Sunbirds, African Stonechat, yellow-bishop, widowbirds, cisticolas, Northern Fiscal, bee-eaters, Owls- but uncertain of which species