Plant these natives to attract birds to your garden.
Don’t forget that insect eating birds will visit most of these plants when looking for spiders, gnats, flys, moths, etc.
Genus/Species | Part Used | When | Specific Birds |
Acacia Greggii | Seeds | Summer | Mourning Dove |
Atriplex species | Leaves/Seeds | Sum/Fall | Finches, Quail, Sparrows, Towhees |
Abies concolor | Leaves | All-year | Blue Grouse, Red Crossbill, Clark’s Nutcracker Pygmy Nuthatch |
Acer macrophyllum | Seeds/Buds/Flowers | Spr/Sum/Fall | Evening Grosbeak, many others |
Acer negundo | Same as macrophyllum in all categories | ||
Achillea borealis. | Seeds | Summer | Goldfinches |
Adenostoma fasciculatum | Seeds | Summer | Goldfinches |
Alnus rhombifolia | Nesting | Spring | Warblers |
Seeds | Summer | Pine Siskin, Goldfinches | |
Buds | Spring | Cedar Waxwings | |
Alnus rubra | Same as rhombifolia all categories | ||
Amelanchier alnifolia | Fruits | Summer | Many Species |
Antirrhinum multiflorum | Flowers/Seeds | Spring/Sum | Hummingbirds & seed eaters |
Aquilegia species | Flowers | Spring/Sum | Hummingbirds |
Arbutus menziesii | Fruit | Fall | Band-tailed Pigeon, Varied Thrush, Long Tailed Chat |
Arctostaphylos species | Fruit | Sum/Fall | Jays, Grosbeaks, Mockingbirds, Fox Sparrow |
Flowers | Late Win/Early | Sp. Hummingbirds | |
Artemisia species Leaves | All-Year | Sage | Grouse, Quail |
Flowers /Seeds | Spr/Sum /Fall | Towhee | |
Asclepias species | Stems, nests | Spring | Orioles |
Aster species | Seeds | Fall | Finches, Sparrows |
Baccharis species | Seeds | Sum/Fall | Finches, Sparrows |
Beloperon californica | Flowers | Spr/Sum | Hummingbirds, Finches, Sparrows |
Ceanothus species | Seeds | Sum/Fall | Quail |
Cephalanthus occidentalis | Seeds | Sum/Fall | Ducks |
Cercis occidentalis | Seeds/Flowers | Spr/Fall | Hummingbirds, Gold Finches |
Cercocarpus species | Seeds/Leaves | Sum/Fall | Blue Grouse |
Chilopsis linearis | Seeds/Flowers | Spr/Fall | Hummingbirds, Doves |
Chrysothamnus species | Seeds | Sum/Fall | Finches, Quail, Pine Siskin |
Comarostaphylis diversifolia | Flowers/Fruits | Spr/Sum/Fall | MANY SPECIES! |
Cornus species | Flowers/Fruits | Spr/Sum/Fall | MANY SPECIES! |
Cupressus species | Seeds | Sum/Fall | Red-breasted Nuthatch & others |
Delphinium cardinale | Flowers | Spr/Sum | Hummingbirds |
Mimulus (Diplacus) species | Flowers | Spr/Sum | Hummingbirds |
Dudleya species | Flowers | Spr/Sum | Hummingbirds |
Eleocharis species | Seeds/Culms/Tubers | Fall | Ducks, Teals,Geese, Scaups, Swans, Rails, Sandpipers, Snipe |
Encelia californica | Seeds | Spr/Fall | Sparrows, Finches |
Equisetum species | Stems/Rootstocks | All-Year | Geese, Swans, Waterfowl |
Eriogonum species | Leaves/Seeds | All-Year | Finches, Juncos, Sparrows, Towhees |
Eschscholzia species | Seeds | Summer | Quail |
Forestiera neomexicana | Fruit | Summer | Quail, Robin, Other Fruit Eating Birds |
Fragaria species | Leaves/Fruit | All-Year | MANY SPECIES! |
Fraxinus species | Seeds | Fall | Quail, Finches, Grosbeaks, Cedar Waxwings, Wood Ducks |
Galvezia speciosa | Flowers | Spring | Hummingbirds |
Geranium species | Seeds | Summer | Doves, Quail, Towhees |
Helianthus species | Seeds | Fall | Seed eating birds, Goldfinches, Bush Tits |
Heteromeles arbutifolia | Berries | Winter | Blue Birds, Robins, Band-tailed Pigeon |
Heuchera maxima | Flowers | Spring | Hummingbirds |
Juglans californica | Nuts | Winter | Jays |
Keckiella species | Flowers | Spr/Summer | Hummingbirds |
Lavatera assurgentiflora | Flowers/Seeds | Sum/Fall | Hummingbirds/Seed eaters |
Lepechinia calycina | Flowers | Summer | Hummingbirds |
Lonicera species | Flowers/Berries | Spr/Sum/Fall | Hummingbirds, Towhees, Robins, Thrashers, Bluebird |
Lupinus species | Seeds | Summer | Quail, Dove |
Mahonia nevinii | Berries | Summer | Bluebirds, Thrashers, Robins, Towhee |
Mahonia aquifolium | Berries | Summer | Thrashers, Robins, Towhees, Others |
Malacothamnus species | Seeds | Fall | Bush Tits/Others |
Mimulus species | Flowers | Summer | Hummingbirds |
Monardella species | Flowers | Summer | Hummingbirds |
Penstemons species | Flowers | Spr/Sum | Hummingbirds |
Pinus species | Seeds/Bark | All-Year | Jays, Nuthatches, Many species! |
Platanus racemosa | Fuzz/Seeds | Spr/Winter | Seed eaters, fuzz used by Hummers for nesting |
Prunus species | Berries | Summer | Jays, many others |
Quercus species | Seeds | Fall/Winter | Jays, Hummers, Many species! |
Rhamnus species | Berries | Summer | Jays, Thrashers, Berry eaters! |
Rhus species | Berries | Spr/Sum | Thrashers,Towhees, Many species |
Ribes viburnifolium | Berries/Flowers | Win/Sum | Hummingbirds, Thrashers, Towhees |
Ribes species | Berries/Flowers | Win/Sum | Hummingbirds, Jays, Thrashers, others |
Rosa species | Hips | Sum/Fall | Thrashers,Towhees Jays,Others |
Salix species | Insects/Catkins | All-Year | Many Species Use Galls |
Salvia species | Flowers/Seeds | Spr/Fall | Hummingbirds, Seed eaters |
Sambucus species | Berries/Flowers | All-Year | Many, Many Species |
Scrophularia species | Flowers/Seeds | Spr/Sum | Hummingbirds, Seed eaters |
Shepherdia argentea | Berries | Summer | Berry eaters |
Sidalcea species | Seeds | Summer | Thrashers, Seed Eaters |
Solanum species | Berries | Summer | Berry eaters |
Stachys species | Flowers | Summer | Hummingbirds |
Trichostema lanatum | Flowers | Summer | Hummingbirds |
Washington Filifera | Dates | Sum/Fall | Cedar Waxwings, Others |
Epilobium (Zauschneria)sp. | Flowers | Sum/Fall | Hummingbirds |
Reference: Las Pilitas Nursery, with permission of Bert Wilson. Edited by Al Naydol and members of the San Luis Obispo Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.