{"id":7564,"date":"2025-01-23T16:14:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T16:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bartlett.com\/blog\/?p=7564"},"modified":"2025-08-13T18:31:57","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T18:31:57","slug":"tree-species-for-attracting-birds-to-your-yard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bartlett.com\/blog\/tree-species-for-attracting-birds-to-your-yard\/","title":{"rendered":"Tree species for attracting birds to your yard"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAttracting birds to your yard starts with the right plant and tree species in your outdoor spaces. When the landscape is dormant, there’s nothing more captivating than a lively scramble of bird activity.\n\nPlanting season is just around the corner. For that reason, it’s a great time to start thinking about plants to add to your landscape that will provide food and shelter for wintertime birds. With a little bit of research, you’ll quickly find that there are many options to help create a welcoming spot for feathered friends.\n\n\"\"\n

Creating a Diverse Landscape<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe first step is to make sure any species you pick are hardy to your zone. If you’re unsure, use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map<\/a>. Further, they should be a good fit for your light and soil conditions.\n\nIt’s also important to note that a diverse landscape is more stable and capable of supporting the local ecosystem. Given that, a combination of plants creates different layers of canopies. This will provide different shelter and nesting options. Additionally, a variety of plants means a greater variety food. This plant diversity will result in many different species of birds congregating in the landscape. Grow a landscape with a range of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants and you’ll be repaid by a variety of visiting birds.\n\nOne final consideration is to ensure the plants you choose will indeed yield wintertime food. Specifically, select species that produce late season fruits or berries. Also consider leaving flower seeds that have fallen in the garden as well as acorns or other nuts on the ground as a food source.\n\nPay attention when adding new plants. Some have been hybridized to not produce fruit. Others are dioecious. That means there are separate male and female plants and you would need one of each for fruit production.\n

Tree and Plant Species for Attracting Birds<\/strong><\/h3>\nHere’s an example of how planting species<\/a> in different layers in a landscape attracts birds. Blue jays and nuthatches eat the acorns of a large oak tree. Below that, bluebirds and robins feed on the berries of a juniper. Still lower, cedar waxwings and mockingbirds love the fruit of winterberry holly. Finally, chickadees and finches feed on the seed heads of Echinacea flowers on the lowest level of the landscape.\n\nIf you’re looking for specific recommendations for a winter landscape, consider some of these options:\n