Creating a garden that attracts birds is a delightful way to bring nature closer to home. Birds add color, sound, and life to your outdoor space, while also helping to control pests and pollinate plants. To create a bird-friendly garden, it’s essential to choose the right plants that provide food, shelter, and nesting opportunities for our feathered friends. Here’s a guide to the best plants for attracting birds to your garden and how to create a welcoming habitat that keeps them coming back year after year.
Provide Food Sources
Birds are attracted to gardens that offer a reliable source of food. By planting a variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers that produce seeds, berries, and nectar, you can create a year-round buffet for your avian visitors.
Berry-Producing Shrubs and Trees
Berry-producing plants are a favorite among many bird species, especially during the colder months when other food sources are scarce. These plants provide not only food but also shelter and nesting sites.
- Holly (Ilex spp.): The bright red berries of holly trees and shrubs are a winter favorite for birds like robins, thrushes, and cedar waxwings. Holly also offers year-round shelter with its dense, evergreen foliage.
- Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.): Serviceberry trees and shrubs produce small, sweet berries that ripen in early summer, attracting birds like blue jays, cardinals, and orioles.
- Dogwood (Cornus spp.): Dogwood trees and shrubs produce berries in late summer to early fall, which are enjoyed by a wide range of birds, including thrushes, woodpeckers, and warblers.
Seed-Producing Flowers
Flowers that produce seeds are a great way to attract seed-eating birds to your garden. Letting flowers go to seed in the fall provides a natural food source for birds during the colder months.
- Sunflowers (Helianthus spp.): Sunflowers are a magnet for birds like finches, sparrows, and chickadees. Their large, seed-filled heads provide ample food throughout late summer and fall.
- Coneflowers (Echinacea spp.): Coneflowers attract birds like goldfinches and sparrows, who feast on their seed heads after the flowers have faded.
- Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.): These cheerful flowers are loved by finches and sparrows, who eat the seeds in late summer and fall.
Nectar-Producing Plants
Hummingbirds and other nectar-feeding birds are drawn to brightly colored flowers that produce abundant nectar. Planting a variety of nectar-rich flowers will keep these energetic birds visiting your garden throughout the growing season.
- Bee Balm (Monarda spp.): Bee balm is a favorite of hummingbirds, with its tubular flowers that provide easy access to nectar. It blooms in mid to late summer and comes in shades of red, pink, and purple.
- Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans): This vigorous vine produces large, trumpet-shaped flowers that hummingbirds find irresistible. It blooms from summer to early fall.
- Salvia (Salvia spp.): Salvias are a diverse group of plants that produce spikes of colorful flowers, attracting hummingbirds and other nectar-feeding birds.
Offer Shelter and Nesting Sites
In addition to food, birds need shelter and safe places to nest. Planting a variety of trees, shrubs, and evergreens can provide birds with the cover they need to feel secure and raise their young.
Evergreen Trees and Shrubs
Evergreen plants offer year-round shelter from predators and harsh weather. They also provide ideal nesting sites for many bird species.
- Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana): This dense, evergreen tree offers excellent shelter and nesting opportunities for birds like robins, mockingbirds, and cedar waxwings. It also produces blue berries that are a winter food source.
- Arborvitae (Thuja spp.): Arborvitae shrubs and trees provide dense cover that is perfect for nesting. Birds like sparrows, chickadees, and finches often build their nests within its branches.
- Pine Trees (Pinus spp.): Pine trees provide excellent shelter and nesting sites, as well as seeds that are a food source for birds like nuthatches, chickadees, and woodpeckers.
Deciduous Trees and Shrubs
Deciduous trees and shrubs, which lose their leaves in the fall, also play an important role in providing seasonal shelter and nesting sites.
- Oak Trees (Quercus spp.): Oak trees offer abundant nesting sites and are a critical food source for many bird species, thanks to their acorns and the insects they attract.
- Maple Trees (Acer spp.): Maple trees provide nesting sites and produce seeds that are eaten by birds like finches, grosbeaks, and woodpeckers.
- Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.): Hawthorn trees produce dense branches that provide excellent nesting cover, as well as red berries that attract birds in the fall.
Create a Bird-Friendly Environment
Beyond planting the right trees, shrubs, and flowers, there are additional steps you can take to make your garden more attractive to birds.
Provide Water Sources
Birds need water for drinking and bathing, especially during hot or dry weather. A birdbath, shallow dish, or small pond can be a great addition to your garden.
- Birdbath: Place a birdbath in a quiet, sheltered area of your garden. Keep it clean and filled with fresh water. A heated birdbath can be especially valuable in winter when natural water sources may be frozen.
- Small Pond or Water Feature: Adding a small pond or water feature with a gentle fountain or waterfall can attract a wide variety of birds. Moving water is particularly appealing to birds and helps keep the water fresh.
Add Nesting Boxes
In addition to natural nesting sites, you can provide nesting boxes for cavity-nesting birds like bluebirds, chickadees, and wrens. Place the boxes in a quiet, sheltered area away from high traffic zones.
- Choose the Right Size: Different bird species require different nesting box sizes. Research the specific needs of the birds you want to attract.
- Install Properly: Place nesting boxes at the appropriate height (typically 5-15 feet off the ground) and ensure the entrance hole is the right size to prevent larger birds or predators from entering.
Avoid Pesticides and Chemicals
Chemical pesticides and herbicides can harm birds by contaminating their food sources and habitats. To create a safe environment for birds, minimize or eliminate the use of chemicals in your garden.
- Organic Gardening Practices: Use organic gardening methods, such as composting, mulching, and natural pest control, to maintain a healthy garden without chemicals.
- Encourage Beneficial Insects: Insects are a crucial food source for many birds. Planting a variety of native plants will attract beneficial insects that birds can feed on.
Enjoy the Benefits of a Bird-Friendly Garden
Creating a garden that attracts birds offers countless rewards. Not only will you enjoy watching and listening to the birds that visit, but you’ll also benefit from their natural pest control and pollination services. Birds can help keep insect populations in check, reducing the need for chemical interventions, and their pollination activities contribute to a healthier, more productive garden.
By planting the right mix of food sources, providing shelter and nesting sites, and creating a safe environment, you can transform your garden into a haven for birds. Whether you’re an avid birdwatcher or simply enjoy the beauty and sound of birds in your garden, these efforts will be well worth it, bringing nature closer to home and enhancing your outdoor space.