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.