OSRS Bird House Run Guide: The Best Passive Hunter XP | Tons of XP Blog
Learn how to do bird house runs in OSRS with our complete guide. This is the single best passive Hunter training method, offering huge XP and valuable bird nests.
OSRS Bird House Run Guide: The Best Passive Hunter XP
If you think Hunter training is all about frantically clicking on chinchompas, think again. The single most efficient way to level up your Hunter skill is a simple, passive activity that takes just two minutes to complete: the bird house run.
This recurring activity on Fossil Island provides massive XP drops and valuable resources for minimal effort. This guide will show you how to incorporate this essential routine into your gameplay.
Getting Started: Requirements
- Quest:
Bone Voyage(to access Fossil Island). - Skills: 5 Hunter (minimum). You'll also need a Crafting level corresponding to the tier of bird house you wish to make.
- Items:
- 4x Bird Houses (or the logs, clockwork, hammer, and chisel to make them)
- Seeds for bait (Hops seeds are the cheapest and most effective)
- A digsite pendant and a teleport to get back.
The Bird House Run: A Step-by-Step Guide
A run is a simple, repeatable loop that you can do every 50 minutes.
- Teleport to Fossil Island: Use a Digsite Pendant to teleport to the Fossil Island camp.
- Travel to the Mushroom Meadow: Run north to the magic mushtree and teleport to the Verdant Valley.
- Set Your Traps: There are four designated "bird house spots" in the Verdant Valley.
- Run to the first spot.
- Click on the spot to place your bird house.
- Click the bird house again to bait it with seeds.
- Repeat this for all four locations.
- Wait 50 Minutes: Go about your regular OSRS activities. A timer plugin on RuneLite is extremely helpful for tracking this.
- Harvest and Repeat: After 50 minutes, return to the Verdant Valley. Click on each bird house to dismantle it. You will receive a large chunk of Hunter XP and your rewards. Then, immediately set up new bird houses to start the next cycle.
Tiers of Bird Houses & XP
The amount of XP you get depends on the type of logs used to make the bird house.
| Bird House Tier | Hunter Level | Crafting Level | Total XP (4 houses) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 5 | 5 | ~1,120 |
| Oak | 14 | 15 | ~1,600 |
| Willow | 24 | 25 | ~2,400 |
| Teak | 34 | 35 | ~3,200 |
| Maple | 44 | 45 | ~4,000 |
| Mahogany | 49 | 50 | ~4,800 |
| Yew | 59 | 60 | ~5,600 |
| Redwood | 89 | 90 | ~6,400 |
The Rewards: More Than Just XP
The main reason bird house runs are so powerful is the loot.
- Bird Nests: You will receive a large number of bird nests containing either rings, seeds, or crushed nests (for Saradomin brews).
- Tree Seeds: A fantastic source of valuable tree seeds for your tree runs.
- Jewelry: You can get a variety of rings, including valuable ones.
Ironman Bird House Run Strategy
For Ironmen, bird house runs are not optional; they are mandatory.
- The Brews: This is your single most important and consistent source of bird nests for making Saradomin brews, the best healing food in the game. You should be doing these runs from the moment you unlock them until you have all the brews you'll ever need.
- The Seeds: The tree seeds you get are vital for training Farming, which is another long and difficult Ironman grind.
- Passive Hunter XP: It provides a huge amount of Hunter XP, allowing you to reach the levels needed for chinchompas or Herbiboar with far less active grinding.
Conclusion
Bird house runs are the epitome of skilling efficiency. For just a few minutes of effort every hour, you get a massive return in XP and valuable supplies. No matter your account type or goal, incorporating bird house runs into your daily routine is one of the smartest and most rewarding things you can do to advance your account.
Don't have the time to log in every hour for your runs? Our team can manage them for you.
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→ For active training, check out our full 1-99 Hunter Guide