Garden Landscaping Want More Birds In Your Yard? Grow These Plants and Trees If you want to create a haven for birds, consider planting these trees and plants that provide food and shelter for our winged friends. By Michelle Mastro Michelle Mastro Michelle Mastro is a writer and author specializing in home and garden topics. She has written for Architectural Digest, The Spruce, Midwest Living, and other publications. Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 5, 2024 Close Photo: Rod Vamosi / Getty Images Birds are great for your yard. Not only are they beautiful and offer charming melodies for your sensory garden, but they also provide plenty of benefits for the environment. Among other ecological services they offer, birds feast on bugs and control the insect population, and they spread seeds, helping to support plant diversity. To help you determine the best plant life to attract birds into your yard or flower garden, we chatted with bird and plant experts to find out more. Here, we’ve gathered the best trees, plants, shrubs, and flowers that will attract birds to your yard. Whitney Yoerger, communications and outreach manager at Indiana Audubon. Stacy Paetzel, landscape architect and founder of Marshall Paetzel Landscape Architecture. 8 Ways to Attract More Birds to Your Yard, According to Experts 01 of 15 Oak Tree Westend61 / Getty Images In addition to providing birds with seeds, the oak tree plays home to hundreds of species of caterpillars. "These trees are favored by birds because they host hundreds of butterfly and moth species, along with their caterpillars," says Whitney Yoerger, communications and outreach manager at Indiana Audubon. Meaning that your oak tree is a bird buffet. Zone: 3 to 9Size: 60 to 100 feet tall x 50 to 90 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; loamy, moist, and well-drained soil Find Your Gardening Zone 02 of 15 Cherry Tree Getty Images This tree produces bite-size fruit, the perfect size for birds to dine on. But like the oak tree, the cherry tree also tends to host caterpillars, supplying birds with lots of food. "Bird species feed their young with insects, particularly caterpillars, which are vital for nestling growth due to their high protein content," says Yoerger. Zone: 5 to 8Size: 35 feet tall x 25 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; loamy, moist, and well-drained soil 03 of 15 Dogwood Teresa Kopec / Getty Images If you want to attract a lot of bird species to your yard, including cardinals, this tree is an invaluable addition. "Birds such as gray catbirds, tufted titmice, cedar waxwings, Eastern bluebirds, and northern cardinals are particularly drawn to these shrubs because they produce fruit rich in fats and proteins," says Yoerger. These nutrients are very important for providing the birds with enough energy to complete their migration. Zone: 5 to 9Size: 15 to 30 feet tall x 15 to 30 feet wideCare requirements: Partial sun; moist and well-drained soil Keep Birds Safe If you make the (wonderful!) effort to attract birds to your yard, it's important to ensure that you're not luring them into a dangerous environment—cats and window collisions account for up to 5 billion bird deaths combined every year in the United States. See more on how to make your windows bird-friendly, and consider a catio for cats rather than letting them roam free. The birds will thank you! 04 of 15 Serviceberry Getty Images Like dogwood, this shrub supplies birds with fruit. "Additionally, the dense foliage of these shrubs provides excellent shelter and nesting sites," says Yoerger. Because it grows into a large shrub, serviceberry can serve as a great habitat for small wildlife and as a nesting site for birds. Zone: 2 to 8Size: 8 to 10 feet tall x 6 to 7 feet wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist, well-draining, loamy soil 05 of 15 Aster Dani Bazelkova / Getty Images These flowers bloom from summer through fall, though some cold-hardy varieties can keep blooming into winter. Aster attracts birds and other pollinators like butterflies to your yard. After the seeds are spent, smaller birds will also use the flower as a hiding spot from predators. Zone: 4 to 8Size: 2 to 3 feet tallCare requirements: Full to partial sun; well-drained soil 16 Pollinator Plants That Will Attract Birds, Bees, and Butterflies to Your Garden 06 of 15 American Holly Getty Images The American holly is an evergreen beauty gifting stunning winter berries. "This tree is a pyramidal evergreen tree with red berries that persist through winter, providing food for overwintering birds," says Stacy Paetzel, landscape architect and founder of Marshall Paetzel Landscape Architecture. These plants also enable biodiversity with the number of animals it supports, from insects to squirrels. Zone: 7 to 11Size: 20 to 30 feet tall x 10 to 15 feet wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; well-drained soil 07 of 15 Eastern Red Cedar Adél Békefi / Getty Images This tree is a type of juniper native to eastern North America. "It is another great choice for attracting birds, notably the cedar waxwing," says Paetzel. This is because the bird loves to hang out in berry-covered trees and shrubs, where it can both dine and nest in the branches. Zone: 2 to 9Size: 30 to 65 feet tall x 8 to 25 feet wideCare requirements: Full to partial sun; moist, slightly acidic, well-drained soil 08 of 15 Jewelweed Joseph Dreimiller / Getty Images This flower attracts birds that aid in pollination. "Jewelweed is especially attractive to hummingbirds due to its tubular flowers, which are rich in nectar," says Yoerger. Plant these flowers in your yard if you would like to welcome hummingbirds and butterflies. Zone: 2 to 11Size: 2 to 5 feet tall x 1.5 to 2.5 feet wideCare requirements: Partial sun to shade; acidic, neutral soil 7 Plants and Flowers That Will Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden 09 of 15 Chokeberry Karina Stan / Getty Images Flowering in spring, chokeberry produces dainty pink or white flowers that attract hummingbirds. Once the purple-black fruits appear in fall, fruit-eating birds will then set up residence in the shrub. Besides offering a haven for the birds, the plant’s fall foliage is a beautiful addition to the yard for its orange and red hues. Zone: 3 to 8Size: 3 to 6 feet tall and wideCare requirements: Full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil 10 of 15 Blueberries Cathérine / Getty Images Popular among birds and humans alike, blueberries make for a nice complement to a vegetable garden. The plant also tends to spread out, covering a lot of ground, which is great for pushing out weeds. But be warned, birds love blueberries. "In fact, the birds will likely get most of the fruit before you do," says Paetzel. Zone: 3 to 10Size: 24 inches to 4 feet tallCare requirements: Full sun; sandy and well-drained soil How to Grow Delicious Blueberries You Can Harvest Year After Year 11 of 15 Columbine earleliason / GETTY IMAGES A native red flower, columbine is a favorite of many pollinators because it blooms long, lasting from spring through summer. "The flowers attract hummingbirds in spring," says Paetzel. Aside from these perks, the plant is also hardy, adds color to a garden, and is a deer-resistant plant. Zone: 3 to 8Size: 1 to 3 feet tall x 1 to 2 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun to partial shade; sandy, loamy, and well-drained soil 12 of 15 Wild Bergamot Getty Images Wild bergamot is beloved by birds. "Wild bergamot draws American goldfinches and house finches for the seeds that are provided in late summer and fall," says Yoerger. But the plant also attracts a range of pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Zone: 3 to 9Size: 2 to 4 feet tallCare requirements: Full sun; well-drained soil 13 of 15 Giant Blue Hyssop photohampster / Getty Images Native to northern North America, this flower is a perennial wildflower known for its tall, purple-blueish spirals of flowers. Birds love this flower because it blooms from mid-summer through fall and has fragrant leaves. Plus, as a native plant, it helps support beneficial insects, which are essential food sources for birds, says Yoerger. Zone: 3 to 8Size: 2 to 4 feet tall x 1 to 3 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun; well-drained soil 15 Perennial Flowers That Produce Long-Lasting Blooms Year After Year 14 of 15 Coneflower Mieneke Andeweg-van Rijn / Getty Images A native flower that’s also easy to care for, coneflowers provide beautiful blooms. "Coneflower’s large, daisy-like flowers are favored by finches in general, who also feed on its seeds from the spent flower heads," says Yoerger. Coneflowers also have a long bloom period, giving birds and other pollinators ample opportunity to eat from the flowers. Zone: 3 to 8Size: 2 to 5 feet tall x 1 to 2 feet wideCare requirements: Full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil How to Grow and Care for Coneflower, a Native Perennial That Brings Color and Pollinators to Your Garden 15 of 15 Elderberry Richard Clark / Getty Images A tree native to many parts of North America, elderberry is a favorite among birds. "To find the most beneficial plants for your yard," Yoerger says, "focus on native species rather than ornamental plants from commercial garden centers that aren't suited to your natural environment." Such native plants include elderberry, which has fruit in late summer and early fall. During spring, when it flowers, bees and butterflies take notice and eat from the blooms. Zone: 3 to 9Size: 20 to 30 feet tallCare requirements: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit