How to Create a Bird-Friendly Backyard

You don’t need to tear out the lawn or hire a landscaper. Most bird-friendly yards are built gradually, one shrub, water source or nest box at a time. This guide follows the four things every bird needs: food, water, shelter and a safe place to raise young. It then covers the hazards that undo that work.

Food: plants first, feeders second

Feeders are the fastest way to see birds, but most backyard birds don’t rely on them. Seeds, berries and especially insects make up most of their diet. Nearly all North American land birds feed insects to their nestlings, and many depend on caterpillars. The research of entomologist Douglas Tallamy, summarized by Audubon, shows native plants support far more of those insects than most non-native ornamentals.

So the practical order is:

1. Plant natives that produce seeds, berries and insects through the year.
2. Add feeders to fill the gaps, especially in winter. Our bird food guide and feeder types guide cover what to offer.
3. Leave seedheads standing and leaves on the beds through winter. Goldfinches, chickadees and sparrows forage in them for months.

Native plants that do the most work

What’s native depends on where you live, so always check a regional list. Audubon’s Native Plants Database and the National Wildlife Federation’s Native Plant Finder both search by ZIP code. These plant groups are widely recommended across much of the U.S.:

Avoid invasive plants even if birds eat the fruit. Japanese honeysuckle, burning bush and Bradford/Callery pear are common examples. They spread into natural areas and crowd out native plants.

Water all year

A reliable water source is one of the quickest ways to see species that never touch a feeder, such as robins, warblers, catbirds and thrushes. Different birds use water differently, so two sources beat one:

• A shallow bath 1–2 inches deep with a textured, gently sloping surface, placed near but not inside cover.
• A ground-level dish near a shrub border suits ground-foraging birds.
• Moving water from a dripper, bubbler or solar fountain. Birds notice the sound and sparkle, and it helps slow mosquito breeding.
• A heater or heated bath in freezing climates, where open water can be scarcer than food.

Scrub baths and refresh the water every few days, more often in summer. Our bird bath guide covers depth, placement, cleaning and winter options.

Shelter at every layer

Birds use different heights of vegetation. A lawn with a few tall trees offers little in between. Aim for something at every level: leaf litter and groundcover, low shrubs, taller shrubs, small understory trees and canopy trees.

• Shrub borders: a mixed row of native shrubs along a fence adds the middle layer most suburban yards lack.
• Evergreens: give winter roosting cover and shelter from wind. Plant them on the side your cold winds come from.
• Brush piles: a loose pile of pruned branches in a back corner gives sparrows, wrens and towhees instant cover. Audubon has a simple brush pile guide.
• Leaves and snags: rake leaves into beds rather than bagging them. Where it’s safe, leave dead trees or limbs standing for woodpeckers and cavity nesters.

Places to nest

Most songbirds nest in shrubs and trees, so the planting above is your main nesting habitat. Cavity nesters such as bluebirds, chickadees, wrens, tree swallows, nuthatches and some woodpeckers need holes, and natural cavities are scarce in most neighborhoods. A properly sized nest box on a smooth pole with a predator baffle can fill that gap.

Entrance hole size decides which species can use a box. Our nest box guide has dimensions by species. NestWatch publishes free plans. Clean out old nests once young have fledged, and use a hinged side panel so it’s easy.

Make the yard safer

Drawing birds into a yard adds responsibility. The three biggest human-caused threats to backyard birds are:

• Windows. Glass collisions kill hundreds of millions of U.S. birds each year. Place feeders within 3 feet of a window or more than 30 feet away. Treat problem windows with exterior markers spaced no more than about 2 inches apart, external screens or netting. The Feeder Placement Calculator helps you pick a safe spot.
• Cats. Free-roaming cats are a leading human-related cause of bird deaths. Keep pet cats indoors or in an enclosure, and don’t put ground feeders or baths right beside shrubs where a cat can wait unseen.
• Pesticides. Broad-spectrum insecticides remove the insects nestlings depend on, and some persist in plant tissue. Accept some leaf damage. The caterpillars on your shrubs are bird food.

Keeping feeders and baths clean matters too. Crowded, dirty feeding stations can spread disease. See how to clean a bird feeder.

A realistic first-year plan

1. This week: add a shallow bird bath and check that feeders sit at a safe window distance.
2. This month: start a brush pile and stop bagging leaves. Look up three native shrubs for your ZIP code.
3. This season: plant one native shrub group, such as three of the same species, near your feeding area. Put up one correctly sized nest box.
4. Next year: replace a strip of lawn with native perennials and grasses, and leave the seedheads standing over winter.

Want a plan for your specific yard? The Feeder Setup Planner turns your yard size, region and target birds into a feeder, food and placement plan.