9 Simple Ways to Bring Beautiful Birds Into Your Backyard

Hummingbirds

With their beautiful wings, pint-sized shape and fast, flitting movements, it’s no wonder hummingbirds are a bird watcher’s favorite. But they’re also great garden helpers, eating insects and pollinating flowers as they flit from one to the next for nectar.

To attract hummingbirds, focus on nectar-producing plants. “Hummingbirds don’t care about your berries; they’re sugar addicts,” Pliska says. “Plant nectar-rich blooms like bee balm and trumpet vine, and they’ll show up like clockwork.”

Black-capped chickadees

While chickadees are easily attracted to bird feeders, they also rely on caterpillars and insects to feed their young each spring. Plant trees that attract these essential insects, and the chickadees will follow.

“Plant keystone trees like oaks, birches and native cherries to host these essential insects and add willows and alders for nesting habitat,” Dellinger says. Provide seeds in the winter by leaving seed heads intact on coneflowers and black-eyed susan or keep bird feeders stocked with black sunflower seeds.

Cardinals

The male cardinal is favored for its brilliant red color, especially against a snowy winter backdrop. The best way to attract them to your yard is with berry bushes.

“Cardinals prefer a well-stocked winter berry buffet in your landscape. So, incorporate viburnum, winterberry and chokeberry,” Pliska says. These help keep cardinals fed during the fall and winter months. In addition, consider planting evergreen trees to provide year-round shelter.

American goldfinch

Known for the male’s bright yellow summer plumage, goldfinches are a welcome addition to any yard or garden. Attract goldfinches with native flowers that produce large seeds.

“Goldfinches want seeds, not berries. They will show up for coneflowers and sunflowers like it’s their favorite café,” Pliska says. They’re happy to forage from native plants or eat purchased bird seed from the ground below feeders.

Mourning dove

Many people enjoy the soothing, sad call of the mourning dove and want this peaceful bird in their outdoor spaces. To accomplish this, provide seeds, as these make up the majority of their diet. If purchasing bird seed, scatter it on the ground where they prefer to eat. Alternatively, plant native flowers like sunflowers, croton, ragweed and panic grasses that all produce abundant seeds that mourning doves enjoy.

Baltimore oriole

With their striking black and orange coloring and pretty, trilling call, the Baltimore Oriole is a much sought-after backyard bird. Like hummingbirds, orioles prefer sugary nectars and fruits.

Consider placing orange slices on bird feeders or putting out shallow dishes of seedless jelly. Orioles will find these irresistible. Alternatively, plant more native berry-producing bushes. “Native trees and shrubs like serviceberry, wild blackberry and native mulberries will make your yard a prime feeding destination,” Dellinger says.

Red bellied woodpecker

This non-migratory bird is only found in the Eastern U.S., but is highly prized for its unique appearance and entertaining behavior. They’re not picky eaters, and will forage for insects, seeds, fruits and nuts.

“Red Bellied Woodpeckers are the scavengers; they’ll happily dine on old crabapple fruit long after everyone else has moved on,” Pliska says. Favorite foods include fall fruits on hawthorn or mountain ash bushes and native flower seeds.

Eastern bluebird

Eastern bluebirds primarily eat insects in the warmer months, but will shift to berry bushes in the fall and winter.

Dellinger suggests focusing on native plants like goldenrod and aster in the summer that serve as host plants for the insects they eat. In the fall they will feed on native berry bushes like blueberry, winterberry holly, flowering dogwood, smooth sumac and black cherry.” This is one bird that is not enticed by bird seed, but will come to shallow dishes of mealworms.

Cedar waxwings

Loved for their attractive gray plumage and black mask, cedar waxwings are a joy to watch due to their energetic and social behaviors. Attract waxwings with berry bushes, their favorite.

“These beautiful birds are drawn to persistence berries on native shrubs,” Dellinger says. “Planting winterberry holly and native dogwoods is the best way to guarantee a visit from a flock.”

FAQ

What is the best time of year to start attracting birds to your yard?

“Seasonally, spring and fall are the most exciting times to attract birds because of the migration. This spring has been a total show at my home with the diversity of birds,” Pliska says.

Does the size of your yard affect what birds you can attract?

“When it comes to the size of a property, birds do not follow boundaries. Consider the entire neighborhood a habitat,” Pliska says.

About the Experts

• Shane Pliska is CEO and Biophilic Design Expert at Planterra, an interior landscape design company. Shane is also the founder of the Planterra Conservatory in Michigan, a glass-enclosed botanical garden and event venue. He’s also an avid bird watcher in his free time.
• Julie Dellinger is a marketing director and content creator at Garden for Wildlife, a National Wildlife Federation program that promotes native gardening education.

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