Bird-Friendly Winter Gardens
by Kris Wetherbee

For birds that take winter residence in your garden, the right mix of plants creates a habitat that can help ensure their survival.

When it comes to food and shelter, winter holds no worries for humans. All we need to do is make a quick trip to the supermarket or turn up the thermostat. But for backyard birds, winter can be challenging as finding food proves more difficult and shelter becomes more scarce.

Shorter days mean less time for birds to forage. Tasty insects are off the menu in much of the country because most hibernate and are hard to find. Many seed-bearing plants have been consumed; others have been cleaned up at season’s end or are covered in snow. The selection of fruits and berries has dwindled. What’s more, deciduous trees and shrubs leave little shelter to protect resident songbirds facing the winter elements.

With a little planning, you can keep winter birds healthy and happy by creating a habitat that provides them with a few basic needs—food, water, shelter, and a safe place to raise a family come spring. Designing a landscape with a multi-layered canopy of evergreen and deciduous plants accommodates the preferences of different birds with everything they need.

Washington Hawthorn

Berry Buffet

“Many birds that eat insects during the breeding season switch to a more omnivorous diet in the wintertime and eat a lot of fruit,” says ornithologist David Bonter, the project leader for Project FeederWatch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York. Shrubs and trees that hang on to their fruit through winter are particularly valuable—especially when their berries or fruit are high in fats. Birds must consume a lot of calories derived from fat in winter to help them maintain the body temperature needed for their survival.

Offer a high-fat buffet that includes berry-laden trees and shrubs such as bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica), sassafras, magnolia, and dogwood (Cornus spp.). Many plants hold their fruit into winter as birds find them unpalatable until cold weather softens and sweetens the fruits. Examples include hawthorn (Crataegus spp.), sumac (Rhus spp.), chokeberry (Aronia spp.), American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), juniper (Juniperus spp.), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), and crabapple (Malus spp.). Some hollies (Ilex spp.) produce berries that can sustain birds into early spring.

Seeded Specials

Many of our winter birds, such as chickadees, sparrows, and finches, are seed eaters. And some insect eaters also rely more on seeds as winter sets in. An assortment of perennials and annuals offers a good source of the seeds they love.
You can help ensure a seed feast by allowing spent flowers to remain at season’s end so the seeds can mature. Many seed-bearing perennials such as coneflowers (Echinacea spp.), tickseed (Coreopsis spp.), penstemons, and sedums are easy to grow and require minimal maintenance because they are drought-tolerant once established.

Fox Sparrow

The seedheads on many grasses are a major source of food for a variety of birds, particularly in the Southwest, where many grassland species migrate for winter. “This group of birds has experienced a greater decline over the past half century than any other group of birds in the U.S.,” says ornithologist Charles van Riper III of the University of Arizona in Tucson. He suggests allowing grasses such as needle grass (Nassella spp.) to remain through winter to attract and sustain the grassland birds that depend on the seeds.

Shrubs and trees also feed hungry chickadees, grosbeaks, and other birds. Maples (Acer spp.) have winged seeds; spruces (Picea spp.) are beautifully adorned with colorful and pendulous seeded cones; redbuds (Cercis spp.) attract many birds with beanlike pods that persist into winter.

Supplementing the Feast

Birds can lose seven to 15 percent of their body weight just trying to keep warm on cold winter nights, so well-stocked feeders are an important supplement to your garden’s offerings. Look for a bird feeder that is sturdy enough to withstand winter weather and also keeps seeds dry. Bear in mind that a variety of seed-filled feeders placed at different heights will attract more bird species than one feeder featuring just one type of seed (for help selecting the right seed.

A variety of styles is available to accommodate birds with varying eating habits. Tray or platform feeders are designed with an edge around the bottom to keep seeds from spilling out. They accommodate a wide variety of backyard birds. Place these feeders one to three feet above the ground and ground-feeders such as juncos, towhees, chickadees, and mourning doves will flock to them…

Photo credits: Fox sparrow by Jean Kuns / courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Washington Hawthorn by Saxon Holt.

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