Attracting birds to your yard can bring joy, beauty, and benefits to any outdoor space. Birds help control insect populations, pollinate plants, and add delightful sights and sounds. With some simple tips, you can turn your yard into a birdwatcher’s paradise that welcomes many different species.
What do birds need from a habitat?
To attract birds, you’ll need to provide for their basic needs:
- Food – Bird feeders and native plants that produce seeds, nuts, fruit, nectar
- Water – Bird baths, fountains, pond
- Shelter – Trees, shrubs, brush piles
- Places to raise young – Dense shrubs, nesting boxes
Focus on providing these key elements and a diversity of birds will follow. Consider your local climate and research which food sources birds in your area rely on.
What are good food sources for birds?
Different birds have different dietary preferences. To attract a variety of species, provide a menu of offerings:
Seeds
Certain seeds are bird favorites, including:
- Sunflower seeds – Chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals, finches
- Nyger thistle – Goldfinches
- Safflower – Cardinals, chickadees, titmice
- Millet – Sparrows, juncos, towhees
Stock up on a mix of these and fill your feeders regularly. Black oil sunflower seeds will attract the widest variety of birds.
Fruit
Orchard fruits like apples, berries, citrus, grapes, and melons will bring in fruit-loving birds like waxwings, orioles, and bluebirds. Leave fallen fruit beneath trees rather than cleaning it up.
Nectar
To attract hummingbirds and orioles, fill special nectar feeders with a sugar-water solution (4 parts water to 1 part sugar). Change nectar frequently to prevent spoilage.
Suet
High-energy suet cakes appeal to woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees. Look for no-melt suet in summer.
Insects
Many birds relish live insects. You can attract them by planting native flowering plants, allowing fallen leaves and branches to remain, and holding off on pesticide use.
Native plants
Incorporating native plants into your landscape provides natural sources of food for birds. Berries, seeds, nectar, foliage, and the insects drawn to the plants can sustain a diverse bird population. Some excellent native plants for birds include:
- Coneflowers
- Sunflowers
- Milkweed
- Wild lupine
- Wild columbine
- Serviceberry
- Dogwoods
- Crabapples
- Hawthorns
Do some research to select native plants well-suited to your region and bird species. Avoid exotic species which provide little food value.
What are the best bird feeders to use?
Offering a variety of well-placed feeders is key to attracting diverse birds. Consider these feeder types:
Hopper or platform feeders
These all-purpose feeders accommodate most standard birdseed mixes. Opt for feeders with weight-sensitive perches to deter large bullies and drainage holes to keep seed dry.
Tube feeders
Tube feeders allow birds like chickadees and finches to cling and feed. Use tube feeders for thistle seed, sunflower chips, peanuts, and suet nuggets. Go for tight mesh to minimize waste.
Ground feeders
Ground feeders like tray and platform feeders cater to ground birds like sparrows, juncos and doves. They allow easy access to seed.
Suet feeders
Specialized suet cages have tail props and small openings for clinging birds to nibble the high-fat suet. Woodpeckers particularly favor suet feeders.
Nectar feeders
These cylindrical feeders mimic naturally occurring tubular flowers. The nectar suits hummingbirds’ and orioles’ preferences.
Fruit feeders
Fruit slices skewered on spikes are an easy fruit feeder. Platform feeders with fruit cage attachments also work well.
Ornamental bird feeders
For those who prefer form over function, decorative feeders like ceramic birds, gazing globes, and lanterns abound. Just be sure fancy feeders still meet birds’ needs.
Where should I position the feeders?
Proper placement of feeders can ensure birds feel safe and comfortable frequenting them. Follow these tips:
- Situate feeders within 3-10 feet of natural cover like trees, shrubs, or brush piles so birds can escape predators.
- For multiple feeders, space them 3-10 feet apart so birds don’t compete and can avoid confrontation.
- Place feeders at, or just below, eye level. Birds prefer to feed at their natural perching height.
- Ensure good visibility. Birds want to detect threats, so don’t obscure feeders behind vegetation or structures.
- Set up feeders near native plants, which provide shelter plus supplemental food sources.
- Position feeders to minimize window collisions. Reflective windows can confuse birds.
Follow these guidelines, and birds should readily gravitate to your well-placed feeders. Be sure to clean and disinfect feeders regularly to prevent disease.
What are the best birdhouses and nesting sites?
In addition to food and water sources, provide safe nesting sites to attract breeding birds. Options include:
Birdhouses
Tailor nest boxes to specific species. Mount them at proper heights on trees or posts. Clean annually. Avoid non-native designs.
Natural cavities
Leave dead trees and stubs standing, and preserve brush piles. These provide critical natural nesting spots for many birds.
Dense shrubs and thickets
Protect patches of dense, thorny shrubs. Birds like juncos and sparrows nest securely in thickets. Prune and maintain these spaces.
Native grasses and flowers
Meadows and prairies with long grasses and wildflowers host ground-nesting species like bobolinks. Allow some areas to grow natural.
Vegetable gardens and compost
Robin and wrens relish nesting in vegetable gardens amid the grids and poles. Compost heaps also offer warm nest insulation.
Ledges, eaves, and beams
Barn swallows and phoebes frequently nest under overhangs on buildings. Adding ledges and mud nests can provide more housing.
With a bit of habitat planning, your yard can provide everything birds need to thrive! Unique feeders, houses and plantings may attract rare species over time.
What common backyard birds should I try to attract?
Backyards across the country play host to a remarkable variety of bird species. Here are some of the most popular birds homeowners love to attract:
Northern Cardinal
With its bright red plumage and mohawk-like crest, the Northern Cardinal is a backyard favorite. It consumes seeds, fruits, and insects and frequents platform feeders. Cardinals live year-round across much of North America.
Blue Jay
This loud, iridescent songbird feeds on nuts, seeds, berries, and insects. Blue jays reside year-round over much of eastern and central North America. They visit platform and tube feeders. Their blue, black, and white coloring is unmistakable.
Black-capped Chickadee
Weighing just half an ounce, these tiny acrobats inhabit trees and bird feeders across northern North America. They eat seeds, fruits, and insects and prefer tube feeders with small perches. Chickadees are friendly neighborhood birds.
American Goldfinch
The state bird of Iowa and Washington, the yellow and black American Goldfinch consumes thistle and nyger seeds from tube feeders. They breed across North America and migrate south for winter. The male’s bright yellow coloring makes this finch stand out.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
These thumb-sized dynamos flutter rapidly up to the nectar feeders meant to mimic their favorite flowers. Ruby-throated hummingbirds breed east of the Rockies and winter in Central America. Their metallic green and red plumage glitters in the sunlight.
Dark-eyed Junco
This snowbird arrives from its northern breeding grounds each winter to frequent backyards across North America. Juncos forage on the ground and eat seeds from platform feeders. The males sport dark hoods and breasts.
American Robin
Robins return each spring across North America, where you can spot them hunting earthworms on lawns. They eat berries and insects too. Robins often nest in gutters and eaves on homes. The males have striking burnt orange breasts.
Mourning Dove
Known for their melancholy cooing, these graceful doves frequent backyards across most of North America. They peck up seeds from platform feeders and nest in dense shrubs. Their soft gray plumage features black spots on the wings.
Downy Woodpecker
Among the smallest woodpeckers, these black and white birds climb backyard trees in search of insects and visit suet feeders. Their range covers most of North America. Listen for their high-pitched pik call.
These popular species just scratch the surface of birds that may turn up. Attracting a diversity of birds takes patience and perseverance. Begin by meeting their basic needs, then work to provide a safe, welcoming habitat. Soon, your backyard could host its own avian bed and breakfast!
What precautions should I take for backyard birds?
When inviting birds into your yard, strive to ensure it remains a healthy habitat for them. Here are some precautions to take:
- Keep feeders and birdbaths clean to avoid disease transmission.
- Prevent window collisions with screens, markers, or deterrents on glass.
- Reduce pesticide usage which can poison birds and their food sources.
- Keep pet cats indoors to protect birds.
- Discourage nesting on dangerous spaces like vents or ledges.
- Promptly remove old birdhouses and nests to prevent parasites.
- Provide escape routes from ponds, nets, and hazards.
- Research local laws, which may forbid trapping, nest removal, or harassment.
- Monitor for dead birds, a sign of potential disease outbreaks.
Above all, respect birds by observing them from a distance and limiting any necessary interventions. With simple vigilance, your backyard can remain a safe haven.
How can I identify backyard birds?
Figuring out what birds are visiting your feeders or flitting through your yard can be a fun challenge. Here are some tips:
Get a field guide
Invest in a birdwatching field guide for your region. Sibley and National Geographic make great guides. Study the photos, shapes, and descriptions.
Note distinguishing marks
Learn to identify birds by unique plumage markings like wing bars, eye rings, bills, stripe patterns, and tail shapes.
Brush up on behavior
Compare habits like flight patterns, feeding, nesting, and hiding. Behavior is often the best clue to identification.
Learn common bird songs and calls
Identifying bird vocalizations takes practice but this often confirms IDs. Listen to recordings to train your ear.
Watch flight style
The way a bird flies offers helpful hints, like wing beat frequency, gliding, soaring, undulation patterns, and hopping.
Check range maps
Consider only birds known to inhabit your area. Ignore species well outside their normal range.
Observe closely
Use binoculars to inspect key field marks. Take time watching and comparing guide photos.
Record sightings
Keep a backyard birding journal with sketches, counts, dates and notes to aid identification.
Identifying birds just takes patience and experience. Soon, you’ll be able to recognize common visitors instantly and will be alert for rarer species passing through. Happy birdwatching!
Conclusion
Turning your yard into an attractive habitat for birds has many rewards. Follow the tips here for food, water, shelter and nesting sites to bring in more species. Observe birds safely, be vigilant for hazards, and brush up on identifying your new visitors. With a little effort, you can gain weeks and months of enjoyment watching colorful songbirds flock to your backyard. When it comes to creating a birdwatcher’s paradise close to home, the sky’s the limit!