An Overview of Garden Plant Suggestions for Birds

Julianne Labreche, Master Gardener, Ottawa-Carleton

N= Native Plant

Bird Friendly Shrubs and Small Trees

• Red-Osier Dogwood (Corus Sercea) N
• Grey Dogwood (Cornus racemosa) N
• Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) N
• Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) N
• Wild Rose (Rosa Virginiana, R.carolina) N
• Bayberry (Myrica pensylvania) N
• Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) N
• Wayfaring bush (Viburnum lantana ‘variegatum)
• Arrowwood Viburnum (Vibumum dentatum) N
• Possumhaw Viburnum (Viburnum nudum) N
• Eastern Red Elderberry (Sambucus pubens) N
• Canadian Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis)N
• Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)N
• Inkberry (llex glabra) N
• Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) N
• Beautyberry (Callicarpa sp) N

Evergreen Trees for Birds

• Eastern White pine (Pinus strobus) N
• Red pine (Pinus resinosa) N
• Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) N
• Red spruce (picea rubens) N
• Black spruce (Picea mariana) N
• White spruce (Picea glauca) N
• Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) N
• Balsam fir (Abies balsamea) N

Deciduous Trees for Birds

• Bur Oak (Quercus Macrocarpa) N
• Shumard Oak (Quercus shumardi) N
• Red Oak (Quercus rubra) N
• White Oak (Quercus alba) N
• Silver Maple (Acer succharinum) N
• Sugar Maple (A, saccharum) N
• Red Maple (A. rubrum) N
• Hawthorn (Crataegus flabellata)
• Black Willow (Salix nigra)- N
• Flowering Crabapple (Malus magdeburgensis)
• Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera) N
• American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) N
• White Ash (Fraxinum americana) N
• Butternut ((Juglans cinerea) N
• Black Walnut ( Juglans nigra) N
• Tamarack or American Larch (Larix laricina) N

Perennials for Birds

• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
• Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium spp) N
• Perennial sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) N
• Blazing Star (Liatris) N
• Black-eyed Susan(Rudbeckia hirta) N
• Milkweed (Asclepias spp) N

Bird-Friendly Annual Flowers

• Cosmos
• Mullein N
• Fuchsia
• Aster (some N)
• Marigolds
• Salvias
• Cornflowers
• Snapdragons
• Nasturtiums
• Amaranthus
• Poppies

Bird-Friendly Vines

• American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) N
• Glaucous Honeysuckle (Lonicera dioica) N
• Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) N
• Wild Grape (Vitisriparia) N

Grasses for Birds

• Bia Bluestem (Andropogon gerardi) N
• Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) N
• Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) N

These are alternatives to Miscanthus, considered an invasive plant species.

www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/grow-instead

Groundcovers for Birds

• Wild Strawberries (Fragaria spp- N
• Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) N
• Lingonberry or Bog Cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) N
• Creeping Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster adpressus)

Useful Birding Apps

Merlin Bird ID Website: merlin.allaboutbirds.org

eBird Website: ebird.org/home

Birds Canada birdgardens.ca

References and Reading

Decline of the North American Avifauna, Kenneth V. Rosenberg, et al, Science, 04 October, 2019, Volume 366, Issue 6461, pp. 120-124

Resources

• Nature’s Best Hope, Douglas Tallamy, Timber Press, 2019
• Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Douglas Tallamy, Timber Press, 2007
• The Joy of Bird Eeeding: The Essential Guide to Attracting and Feeding
• Our Backyard Birds, Jim Carpenter, Scot & Nix, Inc. New York, 2017
• Birds of Canada. Tyler L. Hoar et al, Lone Pine Publishing. 2010
• The Bird Garden. A Comprehensive Guide to Attracting Birds to Your Backyard Throughout the Year, National Audubon Society. Macmillan, Canada, 1995
• Gardening for the Birds: How to Create a Bird-Friendly Backyard, George Adams, Timber Press, 2013
• Welcome to Subirdia, John M. Marzluff, Yale University Press, 2014