Birdscaping with pocket forests

Birdscaping with pocket forests

Like the canary in the coal mine, birds are a bellwether of the health of land, water and ecosystems. The multi-layered habitat required for birdscaping increases climate resilience, reduces GHG emissions from lawn equipment and air conditioners, reduces Urban Heat Island effect, reduces stormwater runoff, and increases watershed health.

non native plants reduce population growth in Chickadees
Image: Nonnative plants reduce population growth of an insectivorous bird (Narango et. al., 2018)

Most birds rely on insects to feed their babies. And the most important baby food are caterpillars due to their high protein content. According to Douglas Tallamy, Chickadee parents need 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to bring a clutch of chickadees to maturity (350-570 daily).

"And chickadees are tiny birds: just a third of an ounce. What if you wanted to support red-bellied woodpeckers in your yard, a bird that is about eight times heavier than a chickadee? How many caterpillars would that take?"

Even Hummingbirds rely on insects to feed their babies.

Native plants, particularly keystone native plants, are critical food for the insects and caterpillars.

General guidelines for birdscaping your yard

diverse habitat garden
Image: City of Ryde, Australia
  • landscape with native plants (especially keystone plants) to maximize insect diversity (even frugivores & seed eaters need insects for raising young)
  • plant shrubs and trees which produce berries and fruit throughout the season (fruit is essential for migratory and year-round birds, even insectivores)
  • plant densely in structural layers (canopy, understory, shrub, ground vegetation)
  • include a bird bath or pond
  • leave the leaves (insects use as shelter or nesting sites)
  • scatter logs and rocks (provide food or protection for insects and other invertebrates)
  • welcome spiders, they're an important food source and spider webs are used as nesting material 
  • install nest boxes

Choosing trees and shrubs for your birdscape

best native shrubs for your yard
Image: Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin & Wisconsin Society for Ornithology

We've created a table listing various types of birds, habitat types, tree and shrub species, nesting requirements, and other habitat features to help you birdscape.

pocket forests and habitat features for Baltimore Orioles

Birds covered include: Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Towhees, Purple Finches, Gold Finches, Pine Siskins, Cardinals, Chickadees, Indigo Buntings, Veeries, Tufted Titmice, Down Woodpeckers, Norther Flickers, Nuthatches, Eastern Phoebes, Bluebirds, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Catbirds, Whip-Poor-Wills, Scarlet Tanagers, Hummingbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers, Tree Swallows, Saw-Whet Owls, and Kestrels.

Learn more