An Overview of Garden Plant Suggestions for Birds

Posted In: , , , ,
A hummingbird feeding on a red plant

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

Share with Friends and Family

More of Interest

More of Interest