How To Attract Colorful Birds

These 10 Helpful Tips Will Make Your Yard Irresistible!

By Richard Worden

Birdwatching can be a very relaxing pastime—and there's nothing better than having colorful feathered friends visiting your yard. Many backyard bird watchers have remodeled their backyards into a bird paradise to attract a vibrant mix of species—you can do the same! Read on to learn how to attract colorful birds...

You can attract colorful birds by planting seeds or nectar-producing native plants, while trees and shrubs also give birds a place to nest. Diversifying your garden landscape ensures that you get a variety of species to visit your garden, as well as feeders, water features, and organic mulch. 

You might find this article helpful if you want to know how to attract colorful birds to the yard. We discuss the ways you can optimize your backyard into a bird attraction. Keep reading until the end to find out how.

1. Plant Seed or Nectar Producing Plants That Birds Love

Like any other species in the animal kingdom, birds seek places that support their survival—food is a top priority. Growing seed or nectar-producing plants in your garden beautifies the space and attracts different bird species who feed on the seeds and nectar. 

The following table enumerates excellent examples of such plants and the bird species they support:

2. Grow More Native Plants To Attract Birdlife

Native plants are a great way to make songbirds feel at home. They provide a balanced diet for all kinds of bird species and ripen at critical times of the year when specific blooms are out of season, making sure your birds are well-supplied. Native plants also attract many insect species that many birds feed—It's a bird buffet! 

Here are some native plants that support different bird species:

• Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum): As its name implies, this flowering shrub makes a cup shape between its leaves and stem, perfect for forming a drinking station for small birds such as goldfinches. 
• Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana): These gorgeous berries ripen in fall and provide a well-needed food source for birds in the colder seasons, such as Robins and finches.
• Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium): These perennials with large purple flowers attract late-season pollinators—and the insectivorous birds that eat them, such as cardinals, towhees, and sparrows.
• Green Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis): These beautiful trees provide fruit to dozens of birds, such as bluejays and thrushes.
• Bee Balm (Monarda didyma): This flowering plant from the mint family is a favorite of hummingbirds due to its tubular blooms.
• Common Chokeberry (Prunus virginiana): Provides an attractive late-season berry that attracts birds such as cedar waxwing and eastern bluebirds. 

Native plants are critical in maintaining entire ecosystems a stone's throw away from your back porch. The caterpillars that don't end up becoming bird chow mature into butterflies which would only add color to your burgeoning bird paradise. how to attract colorful birds

3. Grow Trees & Shrubs To Shelter Colorful Birds

Trees provide valuable cover from the elements and predators. Branches offer birds plenty of real estate for building their nests. We mentioned some shrubs in the previous section, so let's name the trees here. Some great trees to attract birds are the following:

• Serviceberry
• Red Cedar
• Black Gum
• Wild Plum
• Black Cherry
• White Oak
• White Basswood
  
  

4. Create a Diverse Landscape To Attract Birds

Creating a diverse landscape helps entire ecosystems thrive to the extent that would leave you in awe if you knew how many species it supports. Plant a mix of annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, and grasses, and you'll be getting visited by birds even in the winter. 

Trees are great, too, if you have the space, but if you have a small backyard, then shrubs and vines would have to do. But even those attract a surprising variety of bird species. Layout your garden so you place the plants where they best grow. 

5. Install Different Types of Bird Feeders

Having bird feeders in the yard is the bird equivalent of an open house. They come to check out the real estate and grab a few bites while at it. Bird feeders aren't one-size-fits-all—the different types of bird feeders attract certain species. 

Here are the main types of bird feeders and some recommended top-rated examples (all available on Amazon.com):

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To cater to a wide variety of birds, have several types of feeders in your yard. If you're unsure where to install bird feeders safely, here's an article that you'll find helpful.

6. Provide Shelters & Nesting Places in Your Garden

Providing shelters and nesting places is one way to make the birds move in. You can do this by giving artificial shelters or growing trees and shrubs that provide this cover. 

An example of a bird shelter is the Aqueenly Hummingbird House (available on Amazon.com). For around $15, you get a set of 3. It is hand-woven from dried hibiscus grass and rated Best Eco-friendly on the Amazon.com store.

7. Provide a Bird Bath To Attract Colorful Birds

A bird bath ensures that your feathered friends conveniently have somewhere to drink water. Some bird breeds love to splash around in the water, which is fun to watch. 

However, remember that it is best to replace this water daily to avoid bacterial growth. Once the water is no longer fresh, the birds stop coming to drink or bathe, and that stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

8. Protect Your Feathered Friends From Housepets

If you have some feline companions, you should take care of attracting birds into your garden. Nothing is more heartbreaking than seeing one of your beautiful feathered guests end up as your cat's lunch.

 Certain dog breeds can also threaten birds, particularly when familiar with your garden and feeding routines. Try to elevate your bird feed so that they are out of harm's way, or choose a feeding time that corresponds with your animal's schedule—that way, you can keep them safely indoors while your birds are feeding.

9. Mulch Your Garden To Attract Birds

Some birds can't resist a mulch pile—particularly robins and thrushes—who make a beautiful addition to your garden visitors. Mulch piles are breeding grounds for tasty worms and grubs, attracting insect-loving birds to your garden. how to attract colorful birds

However, you should ensure that the mulch you choose for your garden beds is not commercially dyed. These commercial mulches may contain reclaimed materials containing harmful chemicals affecting insect life and birds. Opt for the following for a safe mulch pile:

• Non-dyed shredded, virgin hardwood
• Shredded leaves and pine straw
  
  

10. Rewild Your Garden To Attract Birds

Rewilding lets nature do its thing—reducing or minimizing human activities that disrupt the natural processes that would otherwise continue unhindered. An example of this is cutting back on mowing your lawn. You wouldn't want your grass getting out of control, but your yard doesn't need the regular buzz cut.

It would be best if you also stopped panicking when weeds start to pop up. Find out what weeds are beneficial and let them grow. Some people have a section of the garden just for useful weeds to grow. And go easy on those chemicals. Remember, you're letting nature do her thing—chemicals have to go. Rewilding is like rolling out the carpet for the birds.

How To Attract Colorful Birds...Final Thoughts

There are several ways to bring the birds to the yard, and I can summarize all those steps into a single precept. Provide what they need for survival: food, water, shelter, and safety. Recreating your garden into something that resembles its most natural habitat will increase your backyard's attractiveness to many bird species. Happy birdwatching!

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Hi! I'm Richard Worden, the author and founder of We Know Birds.

Over 20 years ago I developed a keen interest in birds and birdwatching, and it has been my passion ever since. I am committed to spreading useful knowledge about birds to others so we might all enjoy them to the fullest.

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