How to Attract Birds to Your Yard

Send an Invitation to the Birds

Attracting birds is easy. Simply put out a welcome mat that says, “All Birds Welcome!” How? By making your yard bird-friendly:

  • Bird-scape for success 
  • Provide fresh food and water 
  • Make it safe for living and raising a family 
  • Add attention-getters 

Become a Birder Landscaper

Make your yard bird friendly by adding plants, flowers and natural foods; the more diversity, the better. Include plants that flower and/or provide nectar, sap, fruit, and seeds and attract insects. Consider trees, shrubs and flowering plants of different sizes, shapes and textures to provide nesting sites and safe havens.

Hummingbird at flower

Cuisine that's for the Birds

Wild birds need food – especially in the winter. Internet sites and pet stores have a large selection of feeders, depending upon what birds you want to attract. Feeders come in all shapes and sizes, including:

  • Decorative Bird Feeders 
  • Tube Bird Feeders 
  • Seed Feeders 
  • Mesh Bird Feeders 
  • Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders... and more! 

Hummingbird feeders are typically made of glass and plastic, specifically designed to emphasize bright colors hummingbirds love. Mesh feeders have a unique contemporary style and last for years because they are constructed entirely of metal and will not fall apart like wood and plastic bird feeders. Don’t forget to accessorize your feeders a bird feeder pole or hook!

Wild Birds Feeding

Water, Water Everywhere

Want more birds in your backyard? Add water! Birds require and want fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing. Birdbaths are wonderful, major attractions. Put in a shallow birdbath and watch them come! Consider installing a fountain – the sound of the splashing water will get their attention. And use a Perky-Pet® waterer to provide a reliable, fresh water source.

Tufted Titmouse

Safety for Raising a Family

Nesting Materials

All wild birds need a protected, sheltered location to live and raise their young. Do you have a variety of connecting plants and flowers, making your yard safe for nesting? Do you provide nesting materials, like;

  • Knitting yarn 
  • Cotton string 
  • Bale twine 
  • Thread, cut into six inch lengths 
  • Dog or cat fur 

Hummingbird Nest

Roost Boxes

Put out roost boxes. They will be used in the spring for nesting by chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, bluebirds and small woodpeckers, in the winter for safety and warmth.

Food for Fledglings

Baby birds have very specific dietary needs. Most food will be acquired by the parents from natural outlets like insects from the ground or seeds from vegetation. If you find a baby bird that appears to need feeding, contact your local bird rescue organization to have them advise you on the next steps.

Feeding baby birds

Safety First

Think like a bird. Become aware of things in your yard that could discourage birds from visiting, or that might harm or injure them. Create places to protect them from bad weather such as wind, rain, snow, drought, direct sun; and predators like cats, hawks, squirrels, etc. Be aware of other dangers too, such as plate glass windows, discarded fishing line, herbicides, pesticides, etc.

More Attention-Getters

There are many clever ways to attract feathered friends passing through your neighborhood. Add strips of colorful ribbon throughout your yard, where birds can see them. Hummingbirds love all bright colors; orioles flock to orange. Research and discover other ways to bring new friends-of-flight to your yard.

Yarn Suet Feeder

Use Suet Feeders To Hold Leftover Yarn »

Imagine you are a wild bird: what will make your yard a place they’d want to visit and stay in, thanks to plentiful food, water and safety?

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