As the garden catalogs fill your mailbox, and you start making plans for your yard and garden next year, don't forget about the birds. Gardens are outdoor sanctuaries for birds, insects, and other wildlife and every spring, migrating birds visit yards looking for nourishment and protection to raise their young. Birdscaping is the intentional effort to provide a natural setting to attract wildlife, especially birds, to an area, most typically your own backyard.
Most landscaping plants in nurseries are exotic species that are prized for qualities that make them poor food sources for wildlife. Some can even become invasive. By adding native plants to your yard, balcony, garden, or rooftop, you can help birds in the face of climate change, urban development, and other threats.
There are many different ways you can provide a bird-friendly landscape. Here are some examples of plants you can use to attract different bird species:
Planting for birds and insects
Attributes
Attracts
Annuals
impatiens
blooms from summer to first frost; seeds, nectar
bees and other pollinating insects, butterflies, nectar-eating birds (e.g., hummingbirds), birds that eat from seed heads (e.g., chickadees, goldfinches) and birds that eat fallen seeds (e.g., cardinals, native sparrows, House Wrens, robins)
marigolds
pollen, seeds
sunflowers
pollen, nectar, seeds
zinnias
pollen, nectar, seeds
Native perennials
asters
blooms in autumn; nectar, seeds
bees and other pollinating insects, butterflies, nectar-eating birds (e.g., hummingbirds), birds that eat from seed heads (e.g., chickadees, goldfinches) and birds that eat fallen seeds (e.g., cardinals, native sparrows, House Wrens, robins)
bee balm
nectar, seeds
butterfly weed
blooms early spring; nectar
larval insects, bees, butterflies, hummingbirds
cardinal flowers
nectar
hummingbirds, special favorite of cardinals
common milkweed
nectar
caterpillar larvae, butterflies (monarchs)
joe-pye weed
pollen, nectar, seeds
bees and other pollinating insects, butterflies
penstemon
pollen, nectar, seeds
bumblebee and other pollinating insects, hummingbirds
purple coneflowers
pollen, nectar, seeds
butterflies, birds that eat from seed heads (e.g., chickadees, goldfinches)
rudbeckia
pollen, seeds
bees and other pollinating insects, butterflies
Shrubs/Bushes
American highbush cranberry
shade tolerant; berries persist through winter
berry-eating birds (e.g., American Robin, Cedar Waxwing)
serviceberry
flowers April–June, fruits in summer
Trees
black cherry
native; fruit, cover
attracts 429 species of larval insects, attracts birds that eat larval insects (e.g. orioles, Scarlet Tanagers, warblers, woodpeckers), fruit-eating birds like Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles, year-round birds like cardinals and chickadees; wilted leaves and twigs are poisonous to livestock
bur oak, white oak
native; acorns, nesting sites
attracts 518 species of larval insects, attracts birds that eat larval insects, acorns attract Blue Jays, turkeys, grouse, Wood Ducks
crab apple
nectar, fruit
attracts birds that eat fruit, berries and nectar
hackberry
native; berries
attracts 41 larval insects, attracts birds that eat larval insects
mountain ash
some varieties native; berries, cover
berry-eating birds, a favorite of Cedar Waxwings, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Ruffed Grouse
northern white cedar
dense cover, nesting sites
a favorite nesting site for Northern Cardinals
spruces
year-round cover, nesting sites, cones produce seeds
attracts birds that eat seeds from cones: Blue Jays, chickadees, nuthatches, crossbills; another favorite nesting site for Northern Cardinals
white pine
insect habitat, year-round cover, cones produce seeds
attracts 191 larval insects, attracts birds that eat larval insects, Pine Grosbeaks
For more information about native plants that attract birds, visit The Audubon Society’s native plant database.