Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a butterflyweed. Dave Maslowski

Plants For Birds

Native plants help support our birds throughout the year.
Bring birds to your home today by growing native plants. With Audubon's Native Plant Database, you can find the best plants for the birds in your area. Growing bird-friendly plants will attract and protect the birds you love while making your space beautiful, easy to care for, and better for the environment. Explore all of our native plant resources here, including our factsheets on creating a native plant garden and how it can save you moneyAnd, if you’re attracting birds using native plants, you will want to ensure that your space is bird-friendly in every way. Visit our Reducing Collisions page to learn more about protecting birds from collisions with glass.    

 

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Native Plants

Why Native Plants Are Better for Birds and People

Bird-friendly landscaping provides food, saves water, and fights climate change.
Native Plants

So You Have Your List of Native Plants. Now What?

Doing a little prep and research before you go to the nursery will save headaches and ensure you build the best habitat possible.
Native Plants

Bird-Friendly Plants FAQ

Got questions? We have answers.
Native Plants

How to Make Your Yard Bird-Friendly

Make your yard or patio a safe haven for birds in the face of climate change. Native plants provide ideal habitat and food.
Native Plants

Yards With Non-Native Plants Create ‘Food Deserts’ for Bugs and Birds

New research finds that Carolina Chickadees require a landscape with 70 percent native plants to keep their population steady.

More Reading

Native Plants

A Guide to Luring Warblers, Tanagers, Orioles, and Grosbeaks to Your Yard

A birder's run-in with unexpected warblers taught him how migratory songbirds use native trees and plants.
Native Plants

Grow These Native Plants So Your Backyard Birds Can Feast

Native plants beat even the best bird feeder. Here’s what to put in your garden to transform it into a year-round wonderland.
Native Plants

Brighten Up Your Balcony or Patio with a DIY Native-Plant Garden

Even apartment dwellers can lure birds to their windows with container gardens. Here's how to get yours ready for spring migration.
Activities

Making Seed Balls to Help Birds

With this simple DIY, you can spread the power of native plants far and wide.
News

New Research Further Proves Native Plants Offer More Bugs for Birds

The study found that oaks and other native trees deliver a major chunk of the Carolina Chickadee’s insect-intensive diet.
Hummingbirds at Home

How to Create a Hummingbird-Friendly Yard

A little water, a few flowers, and a few perches will bring these tiny dynamos to visit.

All Plants for Birds Stories

Native Plants

How One Neighborhood Saved Millions of Gallons of Water With Native Plants

By Liz Bergstrom
May 09, 2017 — By installing water-saving appliances and less thirsty native plants, this Colorado community saved 15 million gallons of water in just one year.
Native Plants

From Goats to Grandparents: How One Audubon Chapter Is Making a More Bird-Friendly Community

By Liz Bergstrom
March 07, 2017 — Whether it's renting goats to clear out invasive plants or making a new assisted-living facility greener, Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon is making a difference.
Native Plants

To Turn a Schoolyard Into an Outdoor Classroom, Just Add Native Plants

By Liz Bergstrom
February 21, 2017 — With the help of Audubon Minnesota and some controlled fires, a local school recently restored an overgrown field into original prairie habitat.

Native Plants

Why Native Plants Are Better for Birds and People

Bird-friendly landscaping provides food, saves water, and fights climate change.