Plants for Birds

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Compiled by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants, Inc.

Photos and Video by Ken Gilliland ©2002-2006

 
KEYS TO FLOWER COLOR: B  Blue V  Violet/Purple
R  Red 0  Orange
G  Green W  White
P   Pink Y  Yellow
 

Bushtit (eats native insects)

Mourning Doves (eats seed)

Western Bluebird (eats native insects)

BERRIES and FRUITS:                              

SHRUBS

  • *Arctostaphylos spp., Manzanita  P/W – red berries and tasty flowers; insects; dense cover

  • *Berberis spp., Mahonia/Barberry  Y – tasty, summer-ripe berries; plants make good cover and shelter

  • Fragaria chiloensis, F. crinita, F. vesca and F. virginiana, Native Strawberries W. Berries are nibbled on by a variety of birds

  • Heteromeles arbutifolia, Toyon  W – bright red berries provide winter food for many birds

  • Malsoma laurina, Laurel Sumac - P/W – large drought-tolerant shrubs provide berries, shelter, and cover. Warblers love the insects this shrub attracts.

  • Prunus spp., Cherry  W – Woodpeckers and Jays eat the fruits whole; smaller birds pick off the pulp from large seeds

  • Rhamnus spp., Redberry/Coffeeberry  Y – summer berries tasty to Jays, Thrashers, Robins, Thrushes, Phainopeplas

  • Rhus spp., Sumac P/W – large drought-tolerant shrubs provide berries, shelter, and cover

  • *Ribes spp., Currants and Gooseberries P/R/W/Y – Quail, Thrashers, Thrushes, Robins, Finches, Towhees, etc.

  • Sambucus mexicana, Elderberry  Y/W – berries relished by many birds, including Black Phoebes and Phainopeplas

  • Symphoricarpos mollis, Snowberry  P – white berries for Mockingbirds, Finches, Towhees, etc.

 

White-crowned Sparrow (eat insects and seed)

Spotted Towhee (eat insects and seed)

California Thrasher (eat berries and seed)  Audubon Watchlisted
     

Red-winged Blackbird (bi-color morph) (eat seed)

Yellow-rumped Warbler (eats native insects)

Female House Finch enjoying Sambucus mexicana

 

VINES and vine-like plants

  • *Lonicera spp., Honeysuckle P/R/Y – berries for finches and other small songbirds

  • Rosa spp., Wild Rose  P – nutritious hips enjoyed by Quail, Pine Siskins, Goldfinches, etc.; excellent thorny cover

  • Rubus ursinus, California Blackberry W – tasty berries for birds and other wildlife; thick bramble good for cover

  • Vitis spp., Wild Grape – Small tasty fruit appealing to numerous birds; tangle of vines is fine nesting site

 

SEEDS (many choices):

 

PERENNIALS

  • Achillea millefolium, Yarrow P/R/W – seeds eaten by ground-feeders such as Mourning Doves

  • Grasses – nutritious, high-fat seeds; thatch provides good nest-weaving material

  • Oenothera hookeri, Hooker’s Evening Primrose  Y – showy annual/biennial bears large crop of seeds for goldfinches

  • *Penstemon spp., Penstemon B/P/R/V – seeds eaten by sparrows and other small songbirds
 

Male California Quail (eat insects and seed)

Western Tanager (eat insects, berries and seed)

Oak Titmouse (eat insects and seed)    Audubon Watchlisted
     

Male House Finch (eat insects and seed)

Red Shafted Northern Flicker (eat insects and seed)

California Towhee (eat insects and seed)

 

SHRUBS

  • Atriplex lentiformis, Quail Bush – excellent cover and perching site; many birds eat seeds and salty leaves. Quail love this shrub! One of the best bird plants.

  • * Lavatera assurgentiflora, Tree Mallow P/V – Goldfinches eat the seeds, which are produced in quantity

  • * Salvia clevelandii, S. leucophylla, S. mellifera, Sage V/W – seeds eaten by many small songbirds

 

SHELTER and NESTING MATERIALS:

SHRUBS

  • Baccharis spp., Coyote Brush/Mule Fat W – cover, nesting sites, abundant seeds

  • Ceanothus spp., California Lilac B/V/W – visited by many birds for seeds, shelter, nesting, etc.

 
 

Black-headed Grosbeak (eat insects and seed)

Phainopepla (eat insects and seed)

Black Phoebe (eat airborne insects)

 

TREES

  • Alnus rhombifolia, White Alder – Warblers, Goldfinches, Pine Siskins; buds eaten by Cedar Waxwings

  • Juglans californica, Southern California Walnut – Jays and Band-Tailed Pigeons eat the nuts

  • Platanus racemosa, Western Sycamore – Black-Chinned Hummingbirds; Finches, Cedar Waxwings, Pine Siskins

  • Populus fremontii, Fremont Cottonwood – winter buds and capsules used as food

  • Quercus spp, Oak  Y – excellent habitat tree for all kinds of birds: provides insects, acorns, nesting sites, cover, etc.

  • Salix spp., Willow W – unripe capsules eaten by Warblers, Thrushes, Fox Sparrows and Finches

* attracts hummingbirds

Greater Roadrunner (eat insects and reptiles)

Western Scrubjay (eat insects and seed)

Band-tailed Pigeon (eat seed)  Audubon Watchlisted