Best Plants for Attracting Songbirds

A garden designed for birds starts with native plants. This is not ideological preference -- it is ecology. Per Cornell Lab of Ornithology, native plants support the insect community that songbirds depend on for feeding their nestlings. Research by Douglas Tallamy (University of Delaware) shows.

—- title: "Best Plants for Attracting Songbirds" slug: best-plants-for-bird-garden hub: plants category: "Plant Lists" description: "The best plants for attracting songbirds: native species with documented food and nesting value. Species list with berry type, seed type, and bird species attracted." date: 2026-06-10 updated: 2026-06-10 author: "Thomas A." reading_time: 8 —-

A garden designed for birds starts with native plants. This is not ideological preference — it is ecology. Per Cornell Lab of Ornithology, native plants support the insect community that songbirds depend on for feeding their nestlings. Research by Douglas Tallamy (University of Delaware) shows that native oaks support over 500 caterpillar species, while exotic ornamentals support fewer than 5. Ninety-six percent of North American terrestrial bird species feed insects to their young per Tallamy's work, cited by Penn State Extension.

Feeders supplement a bird habitat. Plants create it.

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Trees for Birds

Quercus spp. (Oak)

Zones vary | Bird value: very high | Food: acorns, caterpillar host

Per Penn State Extension, native oaks are the most valuable trees for wildlife in the eastern US, supporting over 500 species of caterpillars (a primary food source for nestling birds), plus acorns that feed over 100 species of vertebrates. White oak (Q. alba, zones 3–9), pin oak (Q. palustris, zones 4–8), and red oak (Q. rubra, zones 3–8) are widely adaptable. Oaks take 20+ years to produce significant acorns — plant for the long term.

Amelanchier spp. (Serviceberry / Juneberry)

Zones 3–9 | Bird value: very high | Food: sweet berries June–July

Per Missouri Botanical Garden, serviceberry produces fruit that is rapidly consumed by birds — robins, cedar waxwings, orioles, and many others. A. canadensis (shadblow, zones 3–8) and A. laevis (zones 4–9) are excellent choices. Small trees (15–25 feet), native to eastern North America. The berries are also edible for humans — one of the best native edible fruits.

Prunus spp. — native cherries

Zones vary | Bird value: very high | Food: fruit, caterpillar host

Per Penn State Extension, black cherry (Prunus serotina, zones 3–9) is one of the most important native trees for wildlife, hosting over 450 caterpillar species and producing abundant small black cherries consumed by dozens of bird species. It grows large (30–60 feet) and self-seeds readily — plan accordingly. Wild plum (P. americana, zones 3–8) is smaller and also high-value.

Malus spp. — native crabapple and persistent-fruiting types

Zones 4–8 | Bird value: high | Food: small fruit

Per NC State Extension, persistent-fruiting crabapples (fruit remains on branches into winter) provide food when other sources are gone. 'Donald Wyman' and 'Red Jewel' are noted by Penn State for fruit persistence. Cedar waxwings, American robins, and thrushes feed heavily on crabapple fruit.

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Shrubs for Birds

Ilex verticillata (Winterberry Holly)

Zones 3–9 | Bird value: very high | Food: red berries November–February

Per Missouri Botanical Garden, winterberry holly produces some of the most persistent and heavily used winter fruit in the eastern garden. American robins, bluebirds, cedar waxwings, and other frugivores consume the berries heavily. Requires one male per 3–5 females. Native to eastern North America.

Viburnum spp. — native species

Zones vary | Bird value: high | Food: fruit, caterpillar host

Per NC State Extension, native viburnums (arrowwood viburnum V. dentatum, nannyberry V. lentago, blackhaw V. prunifolium) produce blue-black berries that feed migrating birds in fall. They also support numerous caterpillar species. All are native to North America and deer-resistant per Rutgers NJAES.

Cornus spp. — native dogwoods

Zones 3–9 | Bird value: very high | Food: lipid-rich fruit

Per Penn State Extension, flowering dogwood (Cornus florida, zones 5–9) produces fat-rich red fruit that migrating birds depend on in fall to fuel long-distance flights. Pagoda dogwood (C. alternifolia, zones 3–7) is a better choice for shaded sites. Both are native.

Sambucus canadensis (American Elderberry)

Zones 3–9 | Bird value: very high | Food: small purple-black berries August–September

Per Missouri Botanical Garden, American elderberry is perhaps the single most wildlife-productive native shrub available. Over 50 bird species consume the berries. It grows rapidly (6–12 feet), spreads by suckers, and tolerates wet soils. Also useful for human berry production (elderflower, elderberry syrup).

Lonicera sempervirens (Coral Honeysuckle — native species only)

Zones 4–9 | Bird value: moderate-high | Food: red berries, hummingbird/warbler nectar

Per Missouri Botanical Garden, native coral honeysuckle produces nectar that attracts hummingbirds and warblers and red berries that feed songbirds. Important: this is the native species only — Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica) is invasive across the eastern US and should not be planted.

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Perennials and Grasses for Seed-Feeding Birds

Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)

Zones 3–9 | Bird value: high | Food: seed heads (goldfinches, chickadees)

Per NC State Extension, coneflower seed heads are a primary winter food source for American goldfinches, dark-eyed juncos, and chickadees. Leave seed heads standing through winter.

Rudbeckia fulgida (Black-Eyed Susan)

Zones 3–9 | Bird value: high | Food: small seeds

Per Missouri Botanical Garden, black-eyed Susan seed heads feed goldfinches and other small birds through winter. Leave standing after frost.

Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass)

Zones 5–9 | Bird value: moderate-high | Food: small seeds

Per NC State Extension, switchgrass seed heads provide food and winter cover for ground-feeding birds and small mammals. Leave standing until late winter.

Helianthus spp. (Native Sunflower)

Zones 3–9 | Bird value: very high | Food: seeds (goldfinches, chickadees, nuthatches)

Per Penn State Extension, native perennial sunflowers (H. maximiliani, H. angustifolius) produce abundant seed heads that feed a wide range of seed-eating birds through fall and winter. They spread aggressively by rhizome — contain them or allow naturalistic spreading.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is more effective — bird feeders or plants? Per Cornell Lab of Ornithology, native plants provide more comprehensive bird habitat than feeders because they support insects (critical for breeding season), provide nesting material and sites, and offer natural fruit and seeds. Feeders supplement winter food but do not replicate the insect production of native plants. Both together are better than either alone.

Which plants attract hummingbirds? Per Penn State Extension, ruby-throated hummingbirds are attracted to red, tubular flowers: coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), trumpet vine (Campsis radicans — but this is vigorous and invasive in some areas), bee balm (Monarda didyma), and native phlox.

Should I plant any non-native bird plants? Per Penn State Extension, non-native fruiting plants (like Rosa multiflora and Lonicera japonica) do provide bird food but are invasive in most eastern states, spreading aggressively from bird-deposited seeds. The trade-off is negative on balance — the ecological damage they cause as invasive plants outweighs their bird-food value.

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Sources

1. Penn State Extension — Attracting Birds to the Garden
2. Missouri Botanical Garden — Plant Finder
3. NC State Extension — Native Plants for Wildlife
4. Rutgers NJAES — Deer-Resistant Plants
5. Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Habitat Network