Daurian redstart Phoenicurus auroreus is a secondary hole-nesting bird distributed widely in temperate Asia. The aim of this study is to identify critical features of nest site selection that affect reproductive success of the bird. All 44 nests (29 succeeded and 15 failed) were built in gaps of stone wall, cavities of hollow brick wall and ropey electricity meter boxes. The main factors that affect nest site selection were nest entrance factors (21.738%), spatial location factors (14.195%), sunshine factors (12.145%), human disturbance (10.440%), nest security (9.266%), and nest concealment (7.187%). Binary logistic regression results showed that succeed breeding nests were nearer to the roof (P=0.043) and had smaller entrance (P=0.047) than the failed nests. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that nest coverage significantly positively related with reproductive success (t=2.883, P=0.009). These findings demonstrate that Daurian redstart prefers to build their nests around villages, where strong disturbance also exist. Small entrance, sheltered above and short distance to the roof-top are relatively adaptive nest-site choice, which may play important roles in the breeding success of Daurian redstart.