Concord, NH -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/11/2015 --Birds can burn up to 12-15% of their body weight on a cold winter night, trying to stay warm. They need a warm shelter, like a roost with an entrance hole at the bottom to keep warm air up inside. Duncraft, the largest online retailer of bird feeding supplies, announces their updated Convertible Roost House, now made from durable recycled plastic, which lasts a lot longer than other roosts on the market, helping birds survive in backyards across the US.

"This one should last 20 years," stated Duncraft owner Mike Dunn. "That's four times longer than any other nesting or roosting box."

"We purchased two of these boxes three years ago," said Duncraft.com customer joanie-f, who owns the Duncraft Convertible Roost House. "In winter, smaller birds spend their nights in there, perched on the ladder, for shelter from especially cold nights. In the early spring, we invert the front panel so that they can use it for nesting.

She continued, "Those two boxes have been used for both every single year (at the moment, we have a downy woodpecker building a nest in one, and a tufted titmouse building a nest in the other). It's so much fun to watch them both seeking warmth in the winter, and hatching young in the spring!"

Both the original and the Duncraft Premium Convertible Roost House feature a ladder with room for six birds to huddle together and conserve energy to stay warm. Remove the ladder and invert the front panel on both of these roosts to use as a nesting box in the spring.

"Wooden boxes last not much longer than five years because of constant use and this newer version is not affected by normal activity," said Dunn. "While it's slightly more expensive than the original, the price evens out because of the durability." Let's quickly compare the original and the newer one:

Duncraft Convertible Roost House
3/4" thick Eastern white pine insulates roost from winter weather
All-screw and wooden construction weather over time

Duncraft Premium Convertible Roost House
Recycled plastic lasts a lot longer than other roosts on the market
Non-porous recycled plastic can't absorb bacteria or water, maintaining
an hygienic, tight-fitting bird shelter for many years

"Roosting boxes are made tighter so the winter weather can't get in," noted Dunn. "This is the sort of thing that's very high in demand from October through April," he added.

About Duncraft
In 1952, Duncraft, based in Concord, NH, became a leader in the backyard bird feeding industry with the first Flight Deck Windowsill Feeding Station, an innovative bird feeder at the time. Today, Duncraft manufactures more than 600 original bird feeders and houses, designed for intermediate to expert bird enthusiasts. With the largest selection of bird feeding solutions online, Duncraft connects you with the products you need to succeed when you feed the birds. Duncraft specializes in making eco-friendly and long-lasting bird feeders and houses. More roosting boxes are available online at http://www.duncraft.com.

SOURCE Duncraft | Wild Bird Superstore