This table give some examples of food plants that can be used to attract birds to your yard.
| Plants For Songbirds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Plant | Food type | Birds attracted |
| Bayberry | Berries | 75 species |
| Dogwoods | Berries | 45 species |
| Pokeberry (inkberry) | Berries | 37 species |
| Flowering crabapple | Fruits | 24 species |
| * | * | * |
| * | Spring | * |
| American elm | Winged seeds | Goldfinches |
| Mulberry | Fruits | 40 species |
| Thorny eleagnus | Fruits | 9 species |
| * | * | * |
| * | Summer | * |
| Black huckleberry | Berries | Many songbirds |
| Pokeberry, inkberry | Berries | 37 species |
| Red cedar | Berries | 22 species |
| Mountain ash | Berries | 15 species |
| * | * | * |
| * | Fall | * |
| American beautyberry | Fruits | 12 species |
| American cranberry | Fruits | 34 species |
| Bittersweet | Berries | 10 species |
| Virginia creeper | Berries | 37 species |
Where To Get Plants For Birds
Many of the plants, shrubs, and trees suitable for attracting birds are available at commercial nurseries and garden centers. Consider this alternative: in many states, the local Soil Conservation Service or state forestry department has “wildlife packets” consisting of carefully researched trees and shrubs that are valuable to wildlife. Many plant species are native to the region, as well. These materials are available at low cost to landowners. Your local Cooperative Extension office may have additional information.
Tip: If You Till It They Will Come-- Here’s a suggestion from Kansas Cooperative Extension for a way to create a hedge of bird-attracting shrubs without buying any shrubs. String a strand of wire to a row of stakes set out along a curved contour line, say along one side of your driveway. Prepare the ground beneath the wire with a rototiller. Birds that perch on the wire will leave their droppings on the tilled soil bed. The seeds and pits in those droppings will germinate and create the new hedge. Sit back and be surprised by what comes up.
