:strip_icc()/GettyImages-1490026683-b550cd6195964e2e9fec8698cccba8f2.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "14 Trees That Will Turn Your Yard into a Bird Magnet")
Trees of all kinds benefit birds, whether it’s providing food, shelter, nesting material, or a convenient perch. Even dead trees and snags are useful, hosting insects for food and cavities for shelter. However, some species, especially natives, are a bigger draw than others. Here are some of the best trees for attracting more feathered friends to your yard.
American Persimmon
Helen Norman
American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) often forms thickets along hedgerows, but can grow into large specimens on favorable sites. Female persimmons produce large, oblong-shaped fruit favored by mockingbirds if a male pollinator is nearby.
Size: 35-60 feet, up to 90 feet
Zones: 4-9
River Birch
River birch (Betula nigra) is one of the more trouble-free birches because it’s not as prone to damage from borers as white birches. It prefers moist soils, but can adapt to drier sites if the pH is lower. A rapid grower, it produces seeds that attract a variety of birds, including cardinals, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, and sparrows.
Size: 40-70 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Planting a solitary tree may attract a few birds, but it’s better to create a habitat that satisfies all of a bird’s primary needs—food, water, protective cover, and a place to raise their young.
Eastern Red Cedar
Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is a resilient, drought- and deer-resistant evergreen with dense foliage that provides cover and nesting opportunities for birds. Female trees produce pretty blue “berries” (actually small cones) favored by cedar waxwings and other birds.
Size: 40-50 feet
Zones: 2-9
Cherry
Bob Stefko
Anyone with a cherry tree knows how popular this genus is with the birds. The fruit of a sweet cherry (Prunus avium) is in such demand that it may require bird netting to ensure a crop makes it to harvest. Black cherry (Prunus serotina), commonly called wild cherry, also has a strong following, as attested by all the seedlings popping up wherever pits are deposited.
Size: 30-40 feet
Zones: 3-8
Flowering Crabapple
Spring wouldn’t be the same without the beloved flowering crabapple (Malus spp.) brightening up home landscapes. As much as people and pollinators like the flowers, it’s the fruit that birds are more interested in, particularly in mid to late winter when other food sources are lacking. Crabapples come in many different cultivars, sizes, shapes, and even fruit colors.
Size: 15-25 feet
Zones: 4-7
Dogwoods
Kindra Clineff
Dogwoods may be known for their spring flowers, but it’s the fall berries (called drupes) that birds love the most. At least 60 species of birds, such as cardinals, bluebirds, catbirds, and mockingbirds, dine on the drupes of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) is a good alternative where anthracnose disease afflicts flowering dogwood. Its red raspberry-like fruits are also loved by songbirds.
Size: 20 feet
Zones: 5-8
Firs
Denny Schrock
Fir trees have a multi-pronged approach to attracting birds. The dense evergreen cover provides shelter, the soft needles nesting material, and the seed-bearing cones give food for a variety of bird species. All fir trees are useful to birds, and some are available in dwarf form for smaller gardens. Popular species include Balsam fir (Abies balsamea), Fraser fir (Abies fraseri), and white fir (Abies concolor).
Size: 30-50 feet, up to 75 feet for Balsam firs
Zones: 3-5 (Balsam fir), 4-7 (Fraser fir), 3-7 (white fir)
To attract a wider assortment of bird species, plant both evergreen and deciduous trees. Evergreens are an excellent source of shelter for birds in winter and both types of trees serve as nesting spots.
Hawthorn
Santiago Urquijo / Getty Images
Hawthorn trees can be thorny plants to deal with, but to a bird, that’s part of their attraction as they seek a nesting spot safe from predators. Birds also love the variety of berries that mature in fall and persist into winter. Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) is a popular species.
Size: 25-30 feet
Zones: 3-8
Chinkapin Oak
Dean Schoeppner
Oaks are famous for their acorns, which aren’t just consumed by animals but also by birds such as woodpeckers and jays. There are many species native to North America and adapted to a variety of growing conditions, so choose one suited to your region. One of the best oaks for wildlife, including birds, is the Chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii), which annually matures a crop of small, sweet acorns easily accessed and transported by birds.
Size: 40-50 feet
Zones: 5-7
Eastern White Pine
Carson Downing
There are nearly 50 species of pine trees native to North America with diverse characteristics and growing preferences. Add in a myriad of cultivars, and it’s easy to see why a pine tree can find a home in just about any landscape, whether it’s a stately giant or a compact cultivar. Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) is a fast-growing, highly adaptable species with a large geographical range.
Size: 50-80 feet
Zones: 3-8
Eastern Redbud
Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) attracts the attention of pollinators when flowering in spring. Birds, however, turn to it later in the year when small seedpods hanging from the tree can be a source of food in winter. Cardinals, grosbeaks, bobwhites, and other wildlife eat redbud seeds.
Size: 20-30 feet
Zones: 4-9
Red Mulberry
Mustafa Turan / Getty Images
All mulberry trees attract birds, but the native red mulberry (Morus rubra) is recommended over the imported white mulberry (Morus alba), which is considered a weedy species. Red mulberry features red fruits that turn dark purple and quickly attract the attention of birds.
Size: 50-70 feet
Zones: 5-9
Sassafras
Denny Schrock
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) has a unique feature: the leaves have three distinct shapes—mitten, two-lobed, and oblong—all on the same tree. Of course, birds care more about the dark-blue drupes, which ripen in early fall and quickly become their dinner.
Size: 30-60 feet
Zones: 4-9
Serviceberry
Peter Krumhardt
There are several different species of serviceberry, a beautiful, small understory tree with spring flowers followed by bird-favorite fruit in summer. Downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) is one of the most popular species. Plus, it’s available in a number of attractive cultivars, some with brilliant fall foliage, adding another season of interest.
Size: 15-25 feet
Zones: 4-9
Although trees are a key component of a bird-attracting landscape, their smaller-sized cousins shouldn’t be overlooked. Shrubs fill gaps in food production as they mature seeds and fruits at other times of the year. Some good candidates for a bird habitat include brambles, cotoneaster, currant, holly, pyracantha, viburnum, and yew.