Trees and Shrubs That Attract Birds

Tagged as: Trees and Shrubs That Attract Birds, birds

It takes more than a feeder and a birdbath to make your yard truly bird friendly. Birds need a complete habitat that provides food, shelter, nesting areas, and singing posts from which to defend their territories.

Factors to Consider When Attracting Birds

A Bird Pantry

Birds get their food not only from the fruits of plants but from their buds, flowers, and nectar. You may want to select plants that provide food in each of these ways.
Select plants to provide food for birds in every season. Fruits ripen in different seasons. Plants with spring-ripening fruits that feed new parent birds include serviceberries, wild cherries, and mulberries. In fall, migrating birds look for the fatty, ripening fruits of spicebush, magnolia, sassafras, and flowering dogwood. Other plants bear fruits that persist through the winter providing an important source of nutrients when the ground is covered with snow. These plants include nannyberry, sumac, hawthorn, and crabapple.
Not all berries are consumed by all bird species. In some cases, fruits may be too large for a bird to swallow. Use a diversity of plant species to attract more birds.

Concentrate on Native Plants

Emphasize native trees, shrubs, and vines. Native plants and birds have evolved side-by-side over thousands of years. Native plants are more likely to provide the right mix, size, and nutritional values that birds in our area require.
By incorporating native habitats into our landscapes, we create natural corridors for birds to pass back and forth through their natural ranges. This is especially important for areas that have been impacted by development.
Avoid exotic, invasive species. Some exotic species, like buckthorn or Japanese honeysuckle, provide abundant fruit for birds; however, they tend to crowd out native species over time, robbing birds and other animals of the diverse mix of plants needed for food and shelter.

Take a Cue From Nature

Plant in drifts. If you look to nature, you’ll discover that in the wild, plants usually occur in groups. This promotes cross-pollination, boosts fertility (and, therefore, fruit yield), and makes it easier for migrating birds to spot ripening fruits.
Consider vertical layers. Natural areas tend to have vertical layers, each attracting and providing something important to different bird species. Some birds prefer the canopy of tall trees. Others perch in the understory trees. Many build nests in shrubs, while still others find shelter and nesting materials in vines and ground covers. Try to create as many of these layers as possible in your backyard bird refuge.
Plant at least one grouping of conifers. These plants provide year-round windbreaks, shelter, and nesting sites.
Leave a dead tree or some dead branches on living trees. As long as the branches or tree aren’t in danger of falling on people, buildings, or power lines, these make excellent perches and singing posts for birds. Many birds also like to nest in the cavities of dead trees or branches.

Read More About It For more information on this topic, consider the following publications, which are available in The Sterling Morton Library or for purchase through The Arboretum Store:

Birdscaping Your Garden: A Practical Guide to Backyard Birds and the Plants That Attract Them. George Adams, Rodale Press, Inc, 1994 Bird Gardens: Welcoming Wild Birds to Your Yard, Stephen W. Kress-Guest, Editor, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Publications, 1998 Orthos All About Attracting Birds, Michael D. McKinley, Editor, Meredith Books, Des Moines, IA, 2001 Gardn Birds: How to Attract Birds to Your Garden, Dr. Noble Proctor, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1986 The Backyard Naturalist, Craig Tuft, National Wildlife Federation, Washington, DC, 1988

On the chart, you’ll find information on bird-friendly trees and shrubs suggested by The Morton Arboretum for the Midwest.

This publication made possible by a grant from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust

Trees and Shrubs that Attract Birds

Large Deciduous Trees (over 30 feet tall)

Botanical/Common Name	Birds Attracted	Plant Appeal
Acer species Maple	Grosbeaks, pine siskin, cardinal, nuthatches, chickadee, brown creeper, warblers, wren, and many others	Seeds that ripen in fall, often persisting into winter; buds; sap; insects on foliage; nesting site
Betula nigra* River Birch	35 + species, including songbirds, juncos, jays, chickadee, waxwing, and finches	Seeds; flower buds; insects on foliage
Celtis occidentalis* Common Hackberry	48 + species, including robin, woodpeckers, and brown thrasher	Fruits ripen in late summer, often persisting through winter; nesting site; shelter
Larix decidua European Larch	Nuthatches, finches, chickadee, grosbeak, and crossbill	Cones; shelter; nesting site
Prunus serotina* Wild Black Cherry	84+ species, including grosbeaks, robin, and waxwing	Fruits ripen in August-September.
Prunus virginiana* Chokecherry	49+ species, including jay, oriole, grosbeak, woodpecker, and cardinal	Fruits; flower buds
Quercus species* Oak	60+ species, including brown thrasher, blue jay, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and titmouse	Acorns; insects; shelter; nesting site
Taxodium distichum* Bald-Cypress	Waterfowl	Seeds; shelter
Tilia americana* American Basswood	Songbirds, bluejay	Seeds; shelter
Ulmus species Elm	Songbirds	Flowers; seeds; shelter

Small Deciduous Ornamental Trees (15-25 feet tall)

Botanical/Common Name	Birds Attracted	Plant Appeal
Amelanchier species* Serviceberry	40+ species, including cardinal dove, robin, catbird, and goldfinch	Fruits available June to August
Carpinus caroliniana* American Hornbeam	Songbirds, especially grosbeak, cardinal, and goldfinch	Nutlets; shelter
Cornus alternifolia* Pagoda Dogwood	93+ species, including flycatchers, woodpeckers, catbird, and thrashers	Fruits ripen in July-August and do not persist long.
Cornus mas Cornelian-Cherry Dogwood	Songbirds	Fruits ripen in July.
Crataegus species Hawthorn	39+ species, including grosbeak, kingbird, robin, hermit thrush, waxwing, and purple finch	Fruits ripen in fall and persist until spring; insects on foliage; winter
Malus species Flowering Crabapple	29+ species, including songbirds, robin, and woodpeckers	Fruit; nesting site
Ostrya virginiana* Ironwood, Hop-Hornbeam	Songbirds, finch, robin, cardinal, and catbird	Seeds; shelter
Prunus maackii Amur Chokecherry	Songbirds	Fruits ripen in August
Sorbus aucuparia European Mountain-Ash	20 species, including robin, waxwing, oriole, woodpeckers, and bluebird	Fruit ripens in late August into September, usually eaten by birds before winter
Syringa reticulata Japanese Tree Lilac	Cardinal, chickadee, and finches	Seeds

Evergreens

Botanical/Common Name	Birds Attracted	Plant Appeal
Juniperus species Juniper	50+ species, including warblers, junco, sparrows, robin, tree swallow, and waxwing	Fruit; shelter; nesting site
Picea abies Norway Spruce	25+ species, including nuthatches, crossbill, finches, and chickadee	Cones; shelter; nesting site
Picea glauca White Spruce	Nuthatches, grosbeak, finches, and chickadee	Cones; shelter; nesting site
Pinus strobus* White Pine	Siskin, nuthatches, crossbill, jay, finches, and woodpeckers	Cones on trees 10+ years old; shelter; nesting site
Taxus cuspidata Japanese Yew	Cardinal, waxwing, thrushes, and many others	Fruit ripens in August-November; nesting site; shelter
Thuja occidentalis* Eastern Arborvitae	Cardinal, grosbeak, chickadee, robin, and sparrows	Cones; shelter; nesting site

Thuja plicata Giant Arborvitae	Cardinal, grosbeak, chickadee, robin, and sparrows	Cones; shelter; nesting site
Tsuga canadensis Eastern Hemlock	35+ species, including warblers, junco, veery, goldfinch, and bluejay	Cones; shelter; nesting site

Large Deciduous Shrubs (over 8 feet tall)

Botanical/Common Name	Birds Attracted	Plant Appeal
Cephalanthus occidentalis* Button Bush	24+ species, including robin, kingbird, and towhee	Nutlets persist through winter
Cornus racemosa* Gray Dogwood	98+ species including flicker, tanager, woodpeckers, and catbird	Fruit ripens July through October and persist into early winter; shelter; nesting site
Cotoneaster multiflora Many-Flowered Cotoneaster	Robin, jay, catbird, finches, cardinal, and many others	Fruit; shelter
Euonymus atropurpureus* European Spindletree	Flicker, thrasher, catbird, bluebird, cardinal, and towhee	Seeds
Hamamelis vernalis Vernal Witch-Hazel	Robin, junco, titmouse, cardinal, and many others	Seeds released in September- October
Hamamelis virginiana* Common Witch-Hazel	Robin, junco, titmouse, cardinal, and many others	Seeds
Ilex decidua* Possum-Haw	49+ species including flicker, catbird, thrasher, waxwing, and robin	Fruit matures in autumn and persists through winter; nesting site
Rhus glabra* Smooth Sumac	98+ species, including flicker, woodpeckers, robin, sparrows, towhee, and tanager	Fruit ripens in later summer and persists into winter; shelter
Rhus typhina* Staghorn Sumac	98+ species, including flicker, woodpeckers, robin, sparrows, towhee, and tanager	Fruit ripens in August –September and persists into spring; shelter
Sambucus canadensis* Common Elderberry	120+ species including woodpeckers, thrasher, catbird, finch, waxwing, kinglets, and warblers	Fruit ripens July-September; nesting site
Viburnum dentatum Southern Arrowwood	35+ species, including flycatcher, flicker, bluebird, grosbeak, and redpoll	Fruit ripens late August-November; cover; nesting
Viburnum lentago* Nannyberry	35+ species, including flycatcher, flicker, bluebird, grosbeak, and redpoll	Fruit ripens September-October, often persisting into December; nesting; cover
Viburnum prunifolium* Black-haw	30+ species, including thrushes, jay, catbird, grosbeak, and redpoll	Fruit ripens in early fall; nesting site; shelter
Viburnum trilobum* American Cranberrybush	35+ species, including flycatcher, flicker, bluebird, grosbeak, and redpoll	Fruit ripens in early September and persists through February

Intermediate Deciduous Shrubs (5-8 feet tall)

Botanical/Common Names	Birds Attracted	Plant Appeal
Aronia brilliantissima Red Chokeberry	21+ species, including chickadee, thrasher, catbird, waxwing, and meadowlark	Fruit ripens September-November and persists into January
Berberis koreana Korean Barberry	Many	Berries ripen in fall and persist into winter; shelter
Clethra alnifolia Summersweet Clethra	Songbirds, including robin, goldfinch, and warblers	Seeds persist through winter
Cornus sericea Red-Osier Dogwood	98+ species including flicker, tanager, woodpeckers, and catbird	Fruit ripens in summer; shelter
Corylus americana* American Hazelnut	Seed eaters, such as bluejays and woodpeckers	Seeds mature September-October
Hibiscus syriacus Rose-of-Sharon	Robins, goldfinch, sparrows, nuthatch	Seeds persist through winter
Ilex verticillata* Common Winterberry	20+ species including hermit thrush, thrashers, finches, and cardinal	Fruits ripen in fall and persist into winter
Lindera benzoin Spicebush*	17+ species, including flycatcher, catbird, robin, wood thrush, and vireo	High fat content fruits ripen July- October and are quickly eaten by birds
Myrica pensylvanica Bayberry	85+ species, including warblers, titmouse, vireo, chickadee, and tree swallow	Fruits persist into winter; shelter

Low-Growing Deciduous Shrubs (under 5 feet tall)

Botanical/Common Name	Birds Attracted	Plant Appeal
Amorpha canescens* Lead Plant	Goldfinch, sparrows, titmouse, and junco	Seeds persist into winter
Berberis thunbergii Japanese Barberry	35+, goldfinch, robin, and chickadee	Fruit ripens in fall and persists into winter; shelter
Cotoneaster horizontalis Rockspray Cotoneaster	Robins, chickadee, sparrows, finches, and many others	Fruits ripen August-September
Hypericum prolificum* Shrubby St. John’s Wort	Finch, sparrows, and junco	Seeds persist all winter
Rhus aromatica* Fragrant Sumac	Robin, sparrows, goldfinch, chickadee, and many others	Berries ripen August-September and may persist into winter although they usually lose their bird-attracting color
Ribes alpinum Alpine Currant	98+ species, including flicker, woodpeckers, robin, sparrows, towhee, and tanager	Fruits ripen in June-July on female plants
Rosa rugosa Rugosa rose	42+ species, including waxwing, grosbeaks, vireo, and chickadee	Fruit ripens in August, often persisting into winter
Rubus allegheniensis Wild Blackberry	149+, including woodpeckers, kingbird, catbird, thrashers, tanagers, white-crowned and white throated sparrows	Berries ripen from late August into fall
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus* Coralberry	Chickadee, robin, and cardinal	Berries ripen in October, persisting late into winter

*Native to the Midwest

Hackberry 98%
Published in Trees and Shrubs That Attract Birds, Salt-Tolerant Trees and Shrubs, Plants Tolerant of Wet Sites, Native Trees, Butterflies, birds
Botanical Name: Celtis occidentalis Common Name: Hackberry Updated 2/2012 Click on an image to enlarge Winter form Leaf bark form Height: 40-60' Spread: 40-60' Habit/Form: Pyramidal in youth changing...
Possum-haw 97%
Published in ArrayFour Season Landscape, birds, Large Deciduous Shrubs, Midwest, native, Plants for Shady Sites, Plants Tolerant of Wet Sites, Trees and Shrubs That Attract Birds
Bonatical name: Ilex deciduaCommon Name: Possum-haw Updated 7/2012 Click on image to enlarge. Form Leaf Fruit Height: 10-15'+ Spread: 10-15' Habit/Form: Rounded Growth Rate: Medium Zone:...
Gray Dogwood 46%
Published in Trees and Shrubs That Attract Birds, Large Deciduous Shrubs, native, Plants for Shady Sites, Plants Tolerant of Wet Sites
Botanical Name: Cornus racemosa Common Name: Gray Dogwood Updated 3/2012 Click on an image to enlarge form flowers fall color Height: 10-15' Spread: 10-15' Habit/Form: Multi-stemmed, upright spreading Growth Rate: Slow...
American Cranberry-bush 46%
Published in Salt-Tolerant Trees and Shrubs, birds, native, Plants for Shady Sites, Plants Tolerant of Wet Sites
Botanical Name: Viburnum opulus var. americanumCommon Name: American Cranberry-Bush Viburnum Updated 3/2013 Form Leaves & flowers Fruit Click on an image to enlarge. Height: 8-12' Spread: ...
Pagoda Dogwood 45%
Published in Trees and Shrubs That Attract Birds, Plants for Shady Sites, Native Trees, Large Deciduous Shrubs, Butterflies, Four Season Landscape
Botanical Name: Cornus alternifoliaCommon Name: Pagoda Dogwood Upated 3/2012 Click on an image to enlarge form flowers fall color Height: 15-25' Spread: 20-25' Habit/Form: Oval, most commonly found as...
Ironwood 45%
Published in Trees and Shrubs That Attract Birds, Intermediate Sized Trees, Native Trees, not favored by deer, Plants for Shady Sites, Salt-Tolerant Trees and Shrubs
Botanical Name: Ostrya virginiana*Common Name: Ironwood Updated 11/2012 Form Fall Leaves Fruit Catkins Bark Click on an image to enlarge Height:...

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A Bird Pantry

Take a Cue From Nature

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