Despite their proximity to humans, songbirds seem to live in another world. No jobs, no bills, no political arguments or bad drivers or long lines at the post office

When you observe them long enough, you can feel yourself getting sucked into that world. Their jerky movements and high-pitched songs become a source of peace. A natural tether that we all sorely need.

If you’ve recognized the peace and joy that wild birds can bring, you may be interested in how to feed them so you can keep them around for longer. This guide is about how you can use native plants and trees to provide a sustainable and balanced food source for songbirds.

We’ll discuss:

•  The different types of songbirds and their diet.
• The role of insects as a crucial protein source for wild birds.
•  What native plants and trees you can cultivate to sustain songbirds.

Let’s start with an overview of the dietary needs of songbirds.

Understanding Songbirds’ Dietary Needs

Songbirds require a balanced diet to thrive. Each species has a distinct preference when it comes to food, and that preference will depend on their natural habitat. That’s why native plants and trees are a bird-lover’s best bet when it comes to feeding.

Here’s a few key points to remember:

• Baby birds eat soft food like caterpillars, not seeds.
• Adult birds eat insects, some berries, and some seeds during the growing season.
• Non-migratory birds will eat berries seeds during the dormant season.

Insects

Caterpillars and insects are a staple component of many songbirds’ diets, providing essential proteins needed for growth.Baby songbirds eat caterpillars before they are old enough to eat insects, seeds, and fruits. Birds such as warblers, bluebirds, and woodpeckers rely heavily on insects like caterpillars, beetles, and spiders. Insects that are naturally attracted to native plants and trees.

To attract beneficial insects, it is important to plant a diverse array of herbaceous and woody flowering plants. Herbaceous flowers such as Mountain Mints, Milkweeds, and Goldenrods attract insects that are a food source for insectivorous birds. Native shrubs and trees such as Black Cherry, Dogwoods, Sumac, and Sycamore host insects and the caterpillars that are fed to baby songbirds.

By planting a diverse array of native flora, you create a balanced ecosystem that supports both the insects and the birds that feed on them, promoting pollinators and ecological health.

Seeds and Fruits

Seeds are fundamental components of many birds’ diets, including songbird species like finches, sparrows, and cardinals. Seeds from plants like oxeye sunflowers and whorled rosinweeds are a favorite among these birds.

Fruits offer another essential food source, especially for birds like thrushes, waxwings, and orioles. Berries from plants such as dogwood, winterberry, and elderberry are particularly attractive to these fruit-loving birds.

The Importance of Native Plants for Songbirds

Anyone interested in feeding songbirds should make a priority of planting native plants and trees in their landscape. These native species are locally adapted. They co-evolved with native insects that feed or reproduce on them. These insects and their caterpillars are food for songbirds as are the fruits and seeds produced by these native plants and trees.

Examples of Native Plants for Feeding Songbirds

Here are a few examples of plants and trees that produce berries or seeds that birds are attracted to. Many of these also support insects that birds need as a source of protein:

Trees and Shrubs

• Trees and shrubs can be a good source of fruit. Their leaves, bark, and wood attract insects that songbirds eat.
• Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood): Flowering dogwood produces bright red fruits, which appear in late summer and early fall. These fruits are consumed by many bird species, including bluebirds, grosbeaks, tufted titmice, cedar waxwings, northern flickers, American robins, and northern cardinals.
• Lindera benzoin (Spicebush): Spicebush produces bright red berries in late summer and early fall that are an important food source for thrushes, including the wood thrush, and the spicebush swallowtail butterfly caterpillar.
• Platanus occidentalis (Sycamore): The bark of sycamore trees supports a variety of insects, which in turn serve as food for insectivorous birds​.
• Prunus serotina (Black Cherry): Black cherry trees produce small, dark fruits that are a significant food source for many bird species, including American robins, cedar waxwings, and thrushes. Their leaves are also a favorite home for caterpillars—they’re known to support 300 caterpillars of moth and butterfly species.
• Rhus typhina (Staghorn Sumac): Staghorn sumacs produce dense clusters of red berries that persist into winter. Birds such as wild turkeys, starlings, and chickadees rely on these berries when the weather turns.
• Ilex verticillata (Winterberry): Cedar waxwings, American robins, and eastern bluebirds are all drawn to winterberries in the late fall and winter when insects are less abundant.

In addition to their status as a food source, many of these trees and shrubs also offer a habitat and nesting site for a variety of birds, making them doubly beneficial.

Plants

These plants are excellent source of seed and insects for songbirds:

• Heliopsis helianthoides (Oxeye Sunflower): These “false sunflowers” are a source of nectar and insects for hummingbirds, and a source of seeds for seed-eating birds like finches, sparrows, and cardinals.
• Silphium trifoliatum (Whorled Rosinweed): A clump-forming species that sustains a variety of bird species thanks to the insects it attracts and the seeds it produces in the late fall. Examples include finches, sparrows, and chickadees.
• Rudbeckia hirta (Blackeyed Susan): After the vibrant yellow flowers of the Blackeyed Susan bloom, they develop into seed heads rich with nutritious seeds. These seeds are a crucial food source, especially in late summer and fall when other resources may be dwindling.
• Asclepias spp. (Milkweed): Primarily known for its role in supporting butterflies, several bird species are also attracted to milkweeds, especially during the breeding season when protein-rich diets are essential for raising young. Warblers, for example, are known to frequent milkweed patches to feed on the abundant insects.

Watching birds closely can also tell you a lot about your garden or landscape. For example, we know it’s time to harvest Oxeye Sunflower and Whorled Rosinweed by observing birds eating the seeds out of the seed heads.

Attract Songbirds with Native Seeds from Ernst Seeds

Inviting songbirds into your life with native plants doesn’t just add a sense of tranquility and a stronger connection to nature. It’s also a perfect way to increase natural habitat and promote insect populations while adding beauty to your landscape.

If you’re looking for the right seed mix to attract songbirds to any size landscape, Ernst seeds can offer custom solutions. We’ll use our more than 50 years of experience in seed production and planting to design custom seed mixes for any purpose.If you have questions about your next project and how best to attract wild birds with the right combination of native plants and trees, contact the experts at Ernst today and let us help.