Your Guide to Attracting Backyard Birds
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Time to read 6 min
Whether you’re a casual bird lover or a birding fanatic, there’s something special about seeing birds in your very own yard. Read on to learn more about popular backyard birds, and how you can attract and protect them.
Meet the backyard birds
All birds are beautiful and interesting, and we all have our favorites. But talk with backyard birders, and a few bird families come up time and time again.
- Cardinals or orioles for their bright and brilliant plumage
- Chickadees, wrens, or jays (if you’re not overly noise-averse) for their engaging personalities
- Woodpeckers or nuthatches for their fascinating behaviors
- Hummingbirds for their fairy-like flight
Depending on your region and the time of year, you have a decent chance of seeing at least some of these in your own yard. The more you know about their habits, the better positioned you’ll be to attract them. The first step here is understanding their diets:
- Seed eaters: cardinals, chickadees, juncos and other sparrows, finches, grosbeaks
- Fruit lovers: orioles, tanagers, robins, waxwings
- Nectar sippers: hummingbirds, favoring tubular flowers
- Insect eaters: warblers chase insects midair or glean them from foliage; woodpeckers and nuthatches probe trunks and crevices
Many of these backyard favorites vary their diets based on availability or their physiological needs. As much as robins love fruit, they’re also the quintessential early bird that gets the worm. Woodpeckers and nuthatches that eat insects during the summer have no problem switching to seeds in the winter. And while most of us picture hummingbirds zooming from blossom to blossom, they also hunt small, protein-rich insects.
The takeaway: if you want a variety of birds, offer a variety of food sources.
Three colorful backyard favorites—a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Northern Cardinal, and American Goldfinch—gather at a seed feeder.
How can you make your backyard bird-friendly?
To attract more and different birds to your yard, think about their essential needs – not just for food, but also for nest sites, nesting material, cover, and water.Â
Focus on native plants
The single best way to make your backyard bird-friendly is to fill it with plants and trees native to your region. It’s not just about their blossoms, fruits and seeds, as important as these are. It’s also about the insects that native plants attract (no pesticides, please!), the cover and nesting sites they provide, and their uses as nesting material. And don’t even think about deadheading those native flowers – their seedheads are natural birdfeeders. For more detailed advice, check out the National Audubon Society’s resource on creating a bird-friendly garden. They’ve also compiled a database of native plants that can be customized to your location.
A garden filled with native wildflowers provides food, shelter, and insects that birds rely on year-round—making native plants one of the most effective ways to support backyard birds.
Supplement natural food sources with a variety of feeders
Depending on the birds you hope to attract, you may want to invest in several different types of seed feeders, as well as a suet feeder and, in warm weather, hummingbird feeders. To draw fruit-loving birds, you can dangle orange halves from hooks or just set them on a simple tray feeder. Ready to shop? Take a look at the Bird Collective feeder collection.
Provide cover, nest sites and materials
If you’re a lazy gardener, you’ll be relieved to know that birds like things a little messy. Dense foliage provides cover and potential nesting sites. Brush piles are another source of cover (and of yummy larvae). Dead trees, if they can be safely left standing, offer nesting sites for cavity nesters like woodpeckers and wrens, though you can also buy or construct next boxes for the same purpose. Dead plant matter, moss, and even human or pet hair are all great nest materials.
Offer fresh water
Birds need a regular supply of water for drinking, bathing, and cooling off. Bird baths don’t have to be fancy, although fountains and other motion elements are a good way to keep yours from turning into a mosquito hatchery. They do have to be the right depth – one to 1.5 inches of water is ideal, with a few stones thrown in as perches. Most importantly, they need to be clean.
A Gray Catbird uses a clean, shallow bird bath for bathing and cooling off—an essential water source for many backyard birds.
Keeping birds safe
A bird-friendly backyard isn’t just about attracting birds. It’s also about keeping them safe. Dirty feeders, bird baths and nest boxes spread disease. Before putting them out, read up on how, and how often, to clean them.
As more birds visit your yard, you’ll want to take extra precautions to prevent window strikes. Remember, birds can’t see glass. Locate any feeders away from your windows, and use decals to deter birds from trying to fly through them. During migration, when many birds travel at night, cover your windows or turn out your lights.
And keep those adorable cats indoors, for their safety as well as that of the birds.
Enjoying your backyard bird haven
A small amount of work brings big rewards. Plant a berry bush or some native flowers, add a feeder and bird bath, and watch the birds come. They’ll bring you joy – and the satisfaction of helping them thrive.
If you haven’t already invested in a field guide to learn who’s who among your avian visitors, we have some recommended resources here. You, too, may be amazed to discover that the “little yellow guys” you see in the summer are the same species as the “little brown guys” you see in the winter – American Goldfinches. (Disclosure: this is based on a real-life conversation in the author’s family.)
And, of course, rep your backyard sanctuary with apparel and accessories from our Backyard Bird Shop. As your yard fills with life, we’d love it if you’d post your favorite visitors and tag us at #BirdCollective.
FAQ
What is the best way to attract birds to my backyard?
The most effective way to attract birds is to meet all their basic needs: food, water, shelter, and nesting sites. Native plants are especially important because they provide natural food sources, attract insects birds rely on, and offer cover and nesting material.Â
What foods attract the widest variety of backyard birds?
Offering a variety of food sources attracts the greatest diversity of birds. Seeds appeal to cardinals, chickadees, and finches; fruit attracts orioles and robins; nectar draws hummingbirds; and insects support warblers, woodpeckers, and nuthatches.Â
Do birds eat the same foods year-round?
No. Many birds change their diets depending on the season and availability. Some species eat more insects during warmer months and rely more heavily on seeds or fruit when insects are scarce.
Why are native plants important for backyard birds?
Native plants support birds in multiple ways: they provide seeds, fruit, and nectar, attract insects birds depend on, offer shelter from predators, and supply nesting materials. They also reduce the need for pesticides, which can harm birds and insects.
Do I need bird feeders if I have native plants?
Native plants are the foundation of a bird-friendly yard, but feeders can supplement natural food sources and help attract more birds, especially during migration, winter, or periods of food scarcity. Using different feeder types increases the variety of species you’ll see.
What kind of water source do birds need?
Birds need clean, shallow water for drinking and bathing. A bird bath with 1–1.5 inches of water is ideal. Adding stones for perches and keeping the water fresh and clean helps birds use it safely.
How can I keep birds safe in my backyard?
Safety is just as important as attraction. Clean feeders and bird baths regularly to prevent disease, place feeders to reduce window collisions, use window decals as deterrents, turn off lights during migration, and keep cats indoors.
