Shrubs
Five important shrubs for birds—what they provide and birds they'll attract.
Northern Bayberry
(Myrica pensylvanica)
- Shrub.
- Season: Fall fruiting, winter persistent fruits.
- Description: Semi-evergreen shrub produces fragrant, waxy, silver-gray berries, which stay on the plant year-round.
- Food type: Fruit.
- Attracts: Tree Swallows (especially wintering), catbirds, bluebirds, many others.
- Also provides: Nest sites, cover.
Staghorn Sumac
(Rhus typhina)
- Deciduous shrub / small tree.
- Season: Fall fruiting, winter persistent fruits.
- Description: Brilliant red foliage in fall. Spikey clusters of hairy red fruits persist through winter. Important food plant for many birds.
- Food type: Fruit, seeds.
- Attracts: Robins, bluebirds, thrushes, catbirds, cardinals, chickadees, starlings, Wild Turkey, Pileated Woodpecker, many others.
- Also provides: (Tends to be too open for nest sites or cover.)
Other dogwoods
(Cornus species, e.g. Red-osier Dogwood, Gray Dogwood)
- Deciduous shrub.
- Season: Fall fruiting.
- Description: Hardy shrub. Fruit with high fat content provides important food for migrating songbirds in fall.
- Food type: Fruit.
- Attracts: Robins, bluebirds, thrushes, catbirds, vireos, kingbirds, juncos, cardinals, warblers, Wild Turkey, grouse, others.
- Also provides: Nest sites, cover.
Viburnums
(Viburnum species, e.g. Nannyberry, Arrowwood Viburnum)
- Deciduous shrub.
- Season: Fall fruiting, some fruits are winter persistent.
- Description: Large genus of easy-to-grow shrubs. White flowers in spring. Produce red, yellow, blue or black berries.
- Food type: Fruit.
- Attracts: Robins, bluebirds, thrushes, catbirds, cardinals, finches, waxwings, others.
- Also provides: Nest sites, cover.
Winterberry (Holly)
(Ilex verticillata)
- Deciduous shrub.
- Season: Fall fruiting, winter persistent fruits.
- Description: Hardy shrub, tolerant of wet conditions. Scarlet berries are important food for winter resident birds. Berries borne on female plants only—for best results plant group several female plants with at least one male plant (your nursery will label it as such).
- Food type: Fruit.
- Attracts: Robins, bluebirds, waxwings, others.
- Also provides: Cover.