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Winter Birds are cool (...get it?)
- bluestemnatives
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
When I was little I would watch my Scandinavian grandmother carefully wrapping each of the perches on her finch feeders with yarn before filling the feeder up for the winter. Around and around to "keep their little feet warm when they stop to eat". Do you need to wrap bird feeder perches in cozy yarn? Um, no. Even better would be to make plant choices that care for the birds. Although there are things that we can do to support our feathered friends year round (namely...plant native), we'll look specifically at what we can do to support them during winter's harsh weather (namely...plant native).
So you'd like to bring birds to your yard during the winter, there's nothing quite like putting out food to get the neighbors to visit. We'll look at plants that provide fruit, seeds, nuts, and insects but keep in mind there's quite a lot of overlap. And bonus...a lot of these plants we mention also provide shelter.
FRUIT
As you likely know, shrubs and smaller trees are an important part of the understory of our environment and are often missing in a traditional urban or suburban back yard full of flat turf grass and tall trees and curated flowers. Birds need understories for shelter, nesting, and food, especially during the winter. When those shrubs bear fruit that persists into winter they are supplying energy dense fats, proteins, and nutrients. Can't birds just eat any shrub's fruit regardless of if it's native status? Actually...New England native berries are lipid-rich with just the right content. Native berries, preferred by birds when they can find them, have the right stuff, “the highest fat content and energy densities were found in fruits of native shrubs..." In addition, when a bird eats fruit from native shrubs and flys to nearby woods later to "deposit" the unused portion of the fruit, they are building tomorrow's woods. When birds eat the fruit of non-native fruit, they are spreading non-native shrubs ad infinitum.
The bird species we have listed here are happy to consume more than fruit but when I look outside my own windows in the winter these are some of the birds I see on the native fruiting shrubs. The (1) American robins and (2) Northern cardinals seem to particularly like the Aronia species pictured below. (Yes some robins do migrate and some do not). (3) Cedar waxwings particularly like "berries" from Eastern red cedar although what looks like berries are actually modified cones. But we'll keep them here in the fruiting section. Ok, ok, Eastern red cedar aren't shrubs either. But we love them so they are staying in this fruiting shrubs section. The following species are fruiting shrubs...and a tree...whose berries persist through much of the winter.
5 Great Species for Winter FRUIT
Black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa
Shrub • full sun, part sun/part shade • average, moist, wet soil • 3-6' tall
This shrub has everything going for it. A great vase-like shape, beautiful flowers visited by a variety of native insects, supports wildlife, great flowers, great fall colors, and...edible berries (best cooked). Birds will only eat them in January and February after they've gone through several freeze cycles and get a little less astringent (they are aptly named "chokeberry"). We also love red chokeberry, Aronia arbuitifolia.
Highbush Cranberry, Viburnum trilobum
Shrub • sun to part sun/part shade • Thrives in moist soil. Will tolerate wet and even average but not ideal. • 8-12' tall
Over the winter the berries sweeten and are excellent in jams. Viburnum spp. offer important support for wildlife, serving as host plants to butterflies and moths. The berries are eaten by Cedar Waxwing and other birds. Two or three shrubs are recommended for best fruit production.
Eastern red-cedar, Juniperus virginiana
Tree • full sun, part sun/part shade • Average to moist soil, not particular • 30'-50' tall
This gorgeous mid-sized conifer is in the Juniper family. The female trees produce fragrant, grey-black, berry-like cones which are a rich food source for birds such as the Cedar Waxwing. Use as a windbreak, privacy screen, can be used as a sturdy planting in soils that are otherwise a challenge such as poor, dry soils and rocky outcrops.
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
Shrub • full sun, part sun, shade • average, moist, or wet soil • 3-10' tall
Common winterberry is a lovely shrub in the holly family. Unlike other hollies, winterberry sheds its leaves each fall, leaving behind clusters of brilliant red berries that serve to feed birds throughout the winter months. Also great for clipping in the winter for holiday decorations!
Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)
Shrub • full to part sun • Average soil • 6-10' tall
When I was at Manomet Observatory recently I was told that their research shows (by analyzing bird poop!) that this species is a preferred fruit, by far. Viburnum dentatum not only provides nourishment but also offers valuable cover in the springtime for nesting birds, making it an essential plant for supporting local wildlife.
SEEDS
Many years ago, goldfinch eating black eyed Susan seeds from their dried seed heads in my yard early one winter was my native-plant "AH HA" moment. A friend gifted me that plant many years ago and it was the start of all of this. Native plants can be both lovely in the winter and support our feathered friends who don't fly off to warmer pastures when the cold weather hits. So leaving your seed-producing plants standing in the winter doesn't only allow for winter texture in your garden, these are the OG birdfeeders. Native seeds provide an essential source of calories that supports daily activity and helps birds maintain body heat through cold weather.
Is there anything more charming than a small flock of (1) Dark-eyed Juncos happily nibbling seeds? While these winter visitors are often found beneath bird feeders, gathering what other birds have dropped, we can also support them naturally by planting species that provide seed right in the landscape. (2) American goldfinches can often be found on dried seed heads but also eat buds, sap, and twigs. (3) Black-capped chickadees, #freakingadorable, are similarly adaptable, feeding on fruits and also the seeds produced by many of the plants listed below.
5 Great Species for Winter SEEDS
Goldenrod species, Solidago spp.
We love them all not only for their wildlife value but spectacular color and long lived seeds. Goldenrods provide outstanding texture in a winter garden. Some of our favorites: Gray goldenrod, Solidago nemoralis (pictured) and Sweet goldenrod, Solidago odora for drier soils in full sun, and Forest goldenrod, Solidago arguta for drier soils in part sun.
Little bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium
Grass • full sun, part sun/part shade • Average to dry • 3' tall
Incredible Wildlife value…provides nesting material for birds and native bees, serves as a grazing cover for birds and small mammals, seeds provide food for late migrating and wintering birds and small mammals, highly deer resistant, larval host plant for a multitude of skippers and butterflies
Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta
Biennial/short lived perennial • full sun, part sun • dry, average, moist • 2'
These biennial wildflowers easily reseed, and are best suited to areas of disturbance where you want a short lived perennial that will fill in while waiting for some of the long-term plants to establish. The seeds will persist through the beginning of winter.
New England Aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Perennial • full sun, part sun • moist or average, soil • 5'
The late blooms of the New England aster provides a welcome nectar source for the migrating Monarchs and many other butterflies and bees. The seeds usually persist through the beginning of winter. This photo is from my yard this week.
Eastern white pine, Pinus strobus
Tree • Sun to part sun • Moist to average soil • usually 50-80' tall, up to 100'
Eastern white pines offer food and shelter year-round. Birds like the White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) and the Pine siskin (Spinus pinus) depend on the seeds from the pine cones, while small mammals such as squirrels rely on both the seeds and the soft, protective bark. The tree also provides excellent nesting sites for birds, with its dense canopy offering shelter and a safe space for the young to grow.
NUTS
Birds that stick around New England for the winter need fuel, and nuts are basically their power bars. When insects are harder to find and berries are picked clean, native nuts like hazelnuts, hickory nuts, and acorns, offer something rare in winter: lots of fat and calories packed into a small bite.
That high-energy food helps birds stay warm through long, cold nights and cuts down on risky winter foraging. Species like (1) Blue Jays collect acorns and use their bills to break them open or store them in holes in the ground. Woodpeckers like the (2) Downy woodpecker and (3) Nuthatches are especially good at cracking, caching, and coming back to these nutritious snacks all season long.
3 Great Species for Winter NUTS
American Hazelnut (Corylus americana)
Shrub • full sun, part sun/part shade • average to moist soil • 5-10'
This shrub is very interesting in the Fall with great variants in foliage color. The American Hazelnut supports over 140 species of butterflies and moths, as well as mammals both small and human-sized. A Blue jay favorite!
Tree • full sun, part sun/part shade, shade • dry, average, moist • 60-80' tall
You’ll need a decent amount of space for this stately tree, with most reaching 60-80 feet, and some up to 120 ft, with a canopy to match. The strong, straight trunk features bark that peels in long, flat strips, lending a shaggy look which provides interest year round, hence Shagbark Hickory.
photo by Katherine Wagner Reiss
Tree • full sun • average or dry soil • 50-80' tall
The oak tree is a wildlife superstar, providing a valuable food source for hundreds of birds, small mammals, and over 473 different species of butterflies and moths! Humans can use the acorns as a food source as well. Listen to: "Why Oaks Are Our Most Essential Native Tree, with Doug Tallamy"
photo by Dcrjsr
INSECTS
Birds—especially chickadees, woodpeckers like the (1) Northern flicker, Nuthatches, (2) Carolina wrens, and overwintering sparrows—depend heavily on protein-rich insects in the winter. Many insects overwinter as eggs, larvae, pupae, or adults tucked into bark crevices and stems. (3) Brown Creepers prefer foraging in large, mature trees with deeply furrowed bark. Leave your leaves on the ground and you provide even more insects for birds in the winter!
Bonus: beyond wintertime, planting native is extremely important to supporting birds. Native insects overwhelming only eat native plants. And terrestrial birds overwhelmingly feed their young insects. Chickadees for example feed each brood 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars in a season! Yowsa.
4 Great Species for Winter INSECTS
Woodpeckers use the oak’s bark to find insects, while Nuthatches forage in its canopy for seeds and insects. The black oak’s rough bark can serve as shelter for various insects, including beetles and caterpillars, which in turn attract birds like Yellow-rumped Warbler that are drawn to the protein-rich insects.
As the blossoms fade, large, white, berry-like drupes form on bright red twigs, which maintain their color as the birds pick them clean and the leaves fall, fading to a rich brown color as winter comes. Swida (Cornus) species host moth larvae and scale insects over the winter. The dense twig structure makes for great shelter.
While most trees are prized for their foliage, the Sweet Birch has a gorgeous red-brown bark to complement the yellow fall foliage. Along with providing excellent shade, the birch is also an ecological prize, serving as a host to 393 documented species of butterflies and moths, including the Green Comma (which isn’t green!). Peeling bark provides shelter for overwintering insects.
Highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum
Shrub • sun to part shade • Moist to average soil • 40'-80' tall
Highbush Blueberry is a tall, fruit-producing shrub that offers multi-season visual interest along with edible fruit and high pollinator support. The fruit will be long gone before the winter, but native Vaccinium species hosts a variety of insects on its woody stems.
Happy winter planning!
Britt