Birds rely on a diversity of native plants as winter food sources…will your garden help feed them?

It’s winter; food for birds and other wildlife is scarce. Let’s talk about some native plants that can feed songbirds naturally in your garden throughout the winter! Providing food to songbirds by planting native plants is superior to putting feeders in your garden. You are encouraging natural behaviors for the birds and supporting biodiversity in your own backyard by planting native plants.

Different plants feed different birds.

There are several species of songbirds that overwinter here in Pennsylvania and surrounding areas. Each bird species has adapted to fill their own niches by eating specific foods in the habitats they live in. If they all ate the same food and lived in the same habitats, there would be too much competition. You should try to satisfy many niches to support as many birds as possible.

Plant Types

There are three main groups of plants that will provide food sources to birds in your garden. They are grasses, herbaceous flowering plants, and woody plants. Grasses and herbaceous flowering plants generally provide dry fruits such as capsules, achenes, grain, and other structures. Meanwhile, woody plants (shrubs and trees) generally provide fleshy fruits such as berries, drupes, and hips. Because of those varying niches, you should include some plants from each group in your garden! Planting the same species of plant in groups of at least three is more ecologically desirable than single individuals. Consider this when planning your garden.

So, which plants will feed the birds in winter? And, which birds?

Grasses

Native grasses, both warm season and cool season species, provide exceptional, high quality carbohydrate rich grain to birds in winter. The seed of grasses are generally known as grain, or caryopsis (for the fancy botanical purists). Grasses can be found in almost every habitat, but of course dominate in grassland habitats such as meadows and prairies. Grasses that are especially valuable winter food sources include:

• little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
• big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
• purple love grass (Erogastis spectabilis)
• broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus)
• switchgrass (Panicum virginicum)
• Indiangrass (Sorgastrum nutans)
• blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
• sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)

Birds that feed on grass seed:

Sparrows, mourning doves, dark-eyed juncos, and bobwhite quail feed on these grains. Sadly, the quail has been extirpated from Pennsylvania. There are many species of sparrows. The American tree sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, and white-throated sparrow commonly visit in winter. Doves feed primarily on grain all year round, with a diet of nearly 100% varied grass seed.

Herbaceous Flowering Plants

“Herbaceous flowering plants” is a very broad classification, but suitable for this discussion. They are everywhere that plants grow, for there are over 120,000 species of herbaceous flowering plants.

Asteraceae

As it turns out, the majority of the best winter-food-sources in the herbaceous flowering plant category are in the same botanical family, Asteraceae. This is known as the sunflower or aster family. Many of the plants in this family produce highly desirable, nutritious seed that ripen late in the season. Some of the best winter forage species in the Asteraceae family include:

• asters (Symphyotrichum spp. & Eurybia spp.)
  • Symphyotrichum includes asters such as New England aster (S. novae-angliae), smooth aster (S. laeve), aromatic aster (S. oblongifolium), and others
  • Eurybia includes woodland asters such as white wood aster (E. divaricata), big-leaved aster (E. macrophylla), and others
• wild sunflowers (Helianthus spp.)
  • wild perennial sunflower species include woodland sunflower (H. divaricata), giant sunflower (H. giganteus), swamp sunflower (H. angustifolius), and others
• blazing stars (Liatris spp.)
  • there are several species including the common marsh blazing star (L. spicata), meadow blazing star (L. ligulistylis), and others
• black and browned eyed susans (Rudbeckia spp.)
  • several species of brown and black eyed susans, including: sweet coneflower (R. subtomentosa), brown-eyed susan (R. triloba), black-eyed susan (R. fuligda), and others
• coneflowers (Echinacea ssp.)
  • of course the purple coneflower (E. purpurea) is the most common, but there are others
• goldenrods (Solidago spp.)
  • there are so many species of goldenrods; we recommend certain species for the garden as some are very aggressive
• ironweeds (Vernonia sp.)
  • New York ironweed (V. novaeboracensis) is a great choice for moist and wet areas, while upland ironweed (V. glauca) is a great plant for drier locations
• tickseeds (Coreopsis spp.)
  • the cheery bright yellow blossoms of tickseeds give way to favorable seed, species include: lance-leaved tickseed (C. lanceolata) and tall tickseed (C. tripteris), among others

Other flowering herbaceous plants:

• rattlesnack master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
  • this unusual plant is in the carrot family, Apiaceae and produces numerous seeds on its spent flower heads that persist through the winter; the rigid heads allow many types of birds to perch and feed
• beebalm (Monarda sp.)
  • the beebalms such as scarlet beebalm (M. didyma), wild bergamot (M. fistulosa), and eastern beebalm (M. bradburiana) among the rest produce many seeds that linger in pin-cushion like heads that are inviting to smaller birds such as sparrows and finches

Birds that feed on herbaceous flowering plant seeds:

Finches, chickadees, juncos, cardinals, sparrows, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and titmice, among others. The seed from one to the next varies greatly in size, and so different birds will feed on different seeds. For example, Northern cardinals will feed on the seed from sunflowers and coneflowers, but likely not blazing star. Meanwhile, finches and sparrows can feed on the seed of smaller species of brown-eyed susans, goldenrods, beeebalm, and tickseeds.

Woody Plants

“Woody plants” refers to any plant that has permanent woody parts such as stems, trunks, and branches including trees, shrubs, some vines, and woody groundcovers. These include flowering plants (Angiosperms) as well as conifers (Gymnosperms). Woody plants are the foundation of many plant communities, especially the natural mixed hardwood forests here in Pennsylvania and Appalachia. Many of them produce fruits that linger long into the winter, making them valuable sources of food for songbirds!

Vines

• coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
  • this semi-evergreen vine produces numerous clusters of red berries that are a valuable food source for some bird species in the winter, including finches and returning robins in late winter
  • the dense growth of this plant also provides exceptional shelter for birds
• Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
  • a deciduous vine, often with lingering fruits that provide winter nourishment and are a favorite of many fruit eating species of birds, including many woodpeckers
• Wild grapes (Vitis sp.)
  • there are several species of wild grapes native to the Eastern U.S., including the fox grape (V. labrusca), which has many domestic cultivated varieties such as the ‘Concord’ grape
  • the grapes often linger into the winter, providing food for many birds including blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, turkeys, and others

Shrubs

• pussywillow (Salix nigra)
  • interestingly, the plump buds of the pussywillow are a favored food source among certain birds including Pennsylvania’s state bird, the ruffed grouse
• Viburnum sp.
  • the viburnums are medium to large, summer flowering deciduous shrubs with late ripening fruits that are eaten by a variety of songbirds and gamebirds, including wild  turkeys; these shrubs include:
    • maple-leaved viburnum (V. acerifolium), American cranberrybush (V. opulus var. americanum), arrowwood viburnum (V. dentatum), nannyberry (V. lentago), wild raisin (V. cassinoides), and smooth witherod (V. nudum), among others

• chokeberries (Aronia sp.)
  • both red and black chokeberries (A. arbutifolia and A. melanocarpa, respectively) are very astringent but are consumed by birds in desperate times during harsh winter; including bluejays, woodpeckers, robins, grosbeaks, and gamebirds
• winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
  • the starchy berries of the winterberry lack sweetness and appeal to most birds, and so, like chokeberries, usually persist through winter; they are often eaten by returning robins and mockingbirds in late winter
  • only female winterberry plants produce berries (a male is necessary for pollination)
• roses (Rosa sp.)
  • the wild roses such as the Carolina and Virginia roses (R. caroliniana and R. virginiana, respectively) produce hips, similar to large rigid berries that are favored by some birds like red-winged blackbirds and grackles
  • other native roses include the swamp rose (R. palustris), wild climbing rose (R. setigera), and meadow rose (R. blanda)
• sumacs (Rhus sp.)
  • sumac berries, like those found in the red spikes on staghorn sumac (R. typhina), are eaten by several bird species over winter such as woodpeckers, sparrows, chickadees, cedar waxwings, and nuthatches, among others
  • other native species of sumac include shiny sumac (R. copallinum), smooth sumac (R. glabra), and fragrant sumac (R. aromatica)
  • only female sumac plants produce berries (male necessary for pollination)

A lovely white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) feeding on staghorn sumac berries (Rhus aromatica).

Trees

• Hawthorn (Crataegus sp.)
  • small, spring-blooming deciduous trees similar to crabapples that produces small, red berry-like fruits that are eaten by robins, cedar waxwings, mockingbirds, and bluejays, among others
• Birch (Betula sp.)
  • birch trees bear cone-like seed structures called catkins, made up of many small seeds; they are eaten by nuthatches, pine siskins, and tufted titmice

• mountain ash (Sorbus americana)
  • this small, understory (and underused) tree is a lovely winter food source, for its bright orange berry clusters are important to several bird species including nuthatches, purple finches, Northern cardinals, chickadees, cedar waxwings, grosbeaks, and white-throated sparrows, among others
• spruce (Picea sp.)
  • the white spruce (P. glauca) and the red spruce (P. rubens) are valuable sources of winter food for some birds such as the specialized red and white-winged crossbills, which have bills designed specifically to eat the seed from conifer cones
• Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
  • the tiny cones of Pennsylvania’s state tree provide food to a variety of birds including juncos, pine siskins, chickadees, and crossbills!

• Atlantic white cedar (Chamaecyparis thyoides)
  • this large, evergreen tree of coastal wetlands is a favored food source of pine siskins
• sweet crabapple (Malus coronaria)
  • our native crabapple is also a valuable winter food source for birds such as Cedar waxwings and robins as well as gamebirds such as wild turkeys
• Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
  • this evergreen conifer has fleshy cones that are often mistaken for berries, they are very attractive to birds in winter including robins, cedar waxwings, chickadees, and wild turkeys
  • only female Eastern red cedars produce fruit

Summary

Different species of birds rely on different types of habitats and species of plants for winter food. Some birds are generalists and can feed on many types of seeds and fruits. Meanwhile, otherss are specialists and prefer, or require, specific types of seeds and fruits to eat, such as crossbills and conifers. They all fill their own niches. Consider planting a variety of different plants from each group and create varying types of garden spaces to appeal to different species of birds. You can always contact your local Audubon chapter for more information on the specific bird species in your area and what you need to support them in your garden!