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.
Provide a Year-Round Source of Food
Birds get their food not only from the fruits of plants but also from their buds, flowers, and nectar. To attract birds, you may want to select a variety of plants in order to provide food in every season.
Fruits ripen in different seasons. Plants with summer-ripening fruits include serviceberries and wild cherries. In fall, migrating birds look for the fatty, ripening fruits of spicebush, magnolia, sassafras, and 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
When selecting plants to attract birds, focus on 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 plants into our landscapes, we create habitats that support birds and provide natural corridors for birds to pass back and forth through their natural ranges. These benefits are especially important in areas that have been impacted by urban development.
Non-native plants can also be added, as some of them are well-behaved and can serve birds, too. Avoid planting invasive species. Some invasive species, like buckthorn or Amur honeysuckle, may provide abundant fruit for birds, but not the nutrition they need. In addition, invasive plants crowd out native species over time, robbing birds and other animals of the diverse mix of plants needed for food and shelter.
Take Design Cues from Nature
Plant in drifts, placing several plants together in a close area. If you look to nature, you’ll see 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 creating vertical layers in your landscape. Natural areas tend to have vertical layers—canopy, understory, shrub layer, vines, and ground cover. Each layer attracts and provides 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 bird refuge.
Consider including conifers, as these plants provide year-round windbreaks, shelter, and nesting sites. However, avoid over-planting conifers. Many conifer species are prone to serious disease and insect problems and planting too many of them can promote spread of those problems.
Where feasible, leave a dead tree or some dead branches on a living tree. As long as the branches or trees aren’t in danger of falling on people, buildings, or power lines, these dead trees and branches make excellent perches and singing posts for birds. Many birds also like to nest in the cavities of dead trees or branches.