Attracting Birds

Attracting birds is easy if you provide for their basic needs. First, give them a steady supply of food. Second, give them fresh water for drinking and bathing. Third, give them protective cover in the form of trees and shrubs so they feel safe and secure, and to raise their young. The plants listed below are attractive to birds for the food and/or shelter they provide. The Food category includes flowers, foliage, nectar, berries, nuts and seeds. The Nesting category includes species birds favor to build their nests. The Cover category includes species birds favor for protection from the wind and elements, as well as for a place to roost at night. When planning your garden to attract birds, a 50/50 mix of evergreen and deciduous plants is ideal. Large cover trees should be sited to block prevailing northwest winter winds. An assortment of smaller trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses along the front side of this windbreak will greatly increase the appeal of your planting.

The annuals, perennials and grasses listed at the end of this sheet generally attract birds to feed on their
seeds. Refrain from deadheading and allow these plants to set seed.

Plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds are listed on a separate Fact Sheet.

SMALL TREES 15-25'

Name	Exposure	Food	Nesting	Cover
Alder Alnus glutinosa	Sun/Part Sun	X	X	X
Arborvitae Thuja occidentalis	Sun/Part Sun	X	X	X
Cherry Prunus	Sun	X
Crabapple Malus	Sun	X	X	X
Dogwood, Chinese Cornus kousa var. chinensis	Sun/Part Sun	X	X
Dogwood, Cornelian Cherry Cornus mas	Sun/Part Sun	X	X
Dogwood, Flowering Cornus	Sun/Part Sun	X	X
Dogwood, Pagoda Cornus alternifolia	Sun/Part Sun	X	X
Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus	Sun/Part Sun	X
Hawthorn Crataegus	Sun	X	X	X
Hemlock, Canadian Tsuga canadensis	Sun-Shade	X	X	X
Juniper Juniperus	Sun/Part Sun	X	X	X
Maple, Fullmoon Acer japonicum	Sun/Part Sun	X	X
Maple, Japanese Acer palmatum	Sun/Part Sun	X	X
Serviceberry Amelanchier	Sun/Part Sun	X	X

MEDIUM TO LARGE TREES 25-60'

Name	Exposure	Food	Nesting	Cover
Beech Fagus	Sun/Part Sun	X	X
Birch Betula	Sun	X	X
Black Gum Nyssa sylvatica	Sun	X
Elm Ulmus	Sun	X	X	X
Hackberry Celtis occidentalis	Sun	X	X	X
Hornbeam Carpinus	Sun/Part Sun	X
Maple Acer	Sun/Part Sun	X	X	X
Oak Quercus	Sun	X	X	X
Pine Pinus	Sun/Part Sun	X	X	X
Quaking Aspen Populus tremuloides	Sun	X
Spruce Picea	Sun	X	X	X
Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua	Sun	X		X
Tulip Tree Liriodendron tulipifera	Sun	X		X

SHRUBS

Name	Exposure	Food	Nesting	Cover
Barberry Berberis	Sun	X	X
Bayberry, Northern Myrica pensylvanica	Sun/Part Sun	X
Blackberry, Raspberry Rubus	Sun	X	X	X
Blueberry Vaccinium	Sun	X
Burning Bush Euonymus alatus	Sun/Part Sun	X
Chokeberry Aronia	Sun/Part Sun	X
Cotoneaster Cotoneaster	Sun/Part Sun	X
Currant Ribes	Sun-Shade	X		X
Dogwood, Gray Cornus racemosa	Sun-Shade	X
Dogwood, Redtwig Cornus alba	Sun/Part Sun	X
Elderberry Sambucus	Sun	X
Firethorn Pyracantha coccinea	Sun/Part Sun	X	X	X
Holly, Meserve Ilex x meserveae	Sun/Part Sun	X		X
Honeysuckle Lonicera tatarica	Sun/Part Sun	X
Juniper Juniperus.	Sun/Part Sun	X		X
Oregon Grapeholly Mahonia aquifolium	Sun/Part Sun	X
Pine, Mugo Pinus mugo	Sun/Part Sun	X		X
Privet Ligustrum vulgare	Sun/Part Sun	X
Roses, Rugosa and Shrub Rosa	Sun	X	X	X
Spicebush Lindera benzoin	Sun/Part Sun	X
Sumac Rhus	Sun/Part Sun	X
Viburnum, Cranberrybush Viburnum trilobum	Sun/Part Sun	X
Viburnum, Arrowwood Viburnum dentatum	Sun-Shade	X
Viburnum, Blackhaw Viburnum prunifolium	Sun/Part Sun	X
Viburnum, Doublefile Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum	Sun/Part Sun	X
Viburnum, European Cranberrybush Viburnum opulus	Sun/Part Sun	X
Viburnum, Mohican Viburnum lantana	Sun/Part Sun	X
Winterberry Ilex verticillata	Sun/Part Sun	X
Witchhazel, Fall Hamamelis viginiana	Sun-Shade	X
Witchhazel, Spring Hamamelis vernalis	Sun-Shade	X
Yew Taxus	Sun-Shade	X	X	X

VINES

Name	Exposure	Food	Nesting	Cover
Akebia, Fiveleaf Akebia quinata	Sun-Shade	X
Bittersweet, American Celastrus scandens	Sun/Part Sun	X
Grape Vitis	Sun	X
Honeysuckle, Goldflame Lonicera x heckrottii	Sun/Part Sun	X
Porcelain Berry Ampelopsis brevipedunculata	Sun/Part Sun	X
Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Sun-Shade	X
Wintercreeper Euonymus fortunei	Sun/Part Sun	X		X

ANNUALS

• Annual Phlox Phlox drummondii
• Bachelor’s Buttons Centaurea cyanus
• California Poppy Eschscholzia californica
• Celosia Celosia plumosa
• Cosmos Cosmos bipinnatus
• Iceland Poppy Papaver nudicaule
• Larkspur Consolida ambigua
• Love-in-a-mist Nigella damascena
• Love-lies-bleeding Amaranthus caudatus
• Marigold Tagetes
• Mexican Sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia
• Moss Rose Portulaca grandiflora
• Pot Marigold Calendula officinalis
• Sunflower Helianthus annuus
• Sweet William Dianthus barbatus
• Zinnia Zinnia elegans

PERENNIALS

• Aster Aster
• Black-eyed-Susan Rudbeckia
• Columbine Aquilegia
• Compass Plant Silphium laciniatum
• Coneflower Echinacea
• Coreopsis, Tickseed Coreopsis
• Gayfeather Liatris
• Goldenrod Solidago
• Globe Thistle Echinops ritro
• Ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis
• Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium
• Milkweed Asclepias
• Oriental Poppy Papaver orientalis
• Prairie Coneflower Ratibida
• Strawberry Fragaria
• Summer Sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides
• Violet Viola

GRASSES

• Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii
• Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium
• Northern Sea Oats Chasmanthium latifolium
• Sideoats Gramma Bouteloua curtipendula
• Switch Grass Panicum virgatum
• Tufted Hair Grass Deschampsia caespitosa