I have a redbud (Cersis canadensis) that I planted several years back as a thin eight-foot tall whip, it has a nice open weeping form now. In the spring before leaf-out and in full flower, it's a favorite of the robins, and later orioles. I'm in zone 5, S/W of London and it grows nicely here.

You could also try paw-paws (Asimina triloba, my four-year-old, seed grown ones are about 5 feet now and starting to show some vigor, they leaf out late but have very dense and lush foliage.

Lucky you, in spite of the name Cercis canadensis it is uncommon here http://ontariotrees.com/main/species.php?id=2074 I found a nursery in 2 hours driving distance but they only sell seedlings and saplings. With some luck I would have something like the specimen below in 3 to 5 years (?)

Edit: I found a local nursery that advertises on their website special orders - presumably from a grower in the U.S. - hope that won't cost me an arm and a leg for a decent sized specimen.

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Asimina triloba is not hardy in my area :-(

Of the plants that come to mind for bird fruit (kousa, hawthorn, hollies, blueberries, etc), serviceberry is the most open as Dave mentioned. Another consideration is which season you most want to watch because these all fruit at different times. Branch density is less important for fall fruit producers because the leaves drop. Or you can target a tree with heavy caterpillar hosting, which also brings the birds. Suggest underplanting with asters, coneflowers, sunflower, etc to attract the birds that love seeds too.

Thanks for the serviceberry suggestion, here are a couple of pics of the Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance'

From a
parallel Serviceberry thread http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/4291032/amelanchier-trees-and-shrubs?n=7

"Though the
following are not as open or "airy", they do have a more horizontal
habit (at maturity) - crabapple, hawthorn (Winter King is relatively airy), or
even cornelian cherry dogwood or Pekin tree lilac (e.g. China Snow)."

I googled the hawthorn Crataegus viridis 'Winter King' below, it belongs in this thread.

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And here is a cornelian cherry dogwood, the Cornus mas 'Golden Glory'

And the lilac tree Syringa pekinensis ' China Snow'

Give strong consideration to the crab apple, Malus Donald Wyman. Fruit hangs on the branches all winter for birds to feast on. Attractive in the winter. Very resistant to the usual apple disease problems. Thrives in your growing zone. Check it out.

Thanks for the suggestion, below is a pic. It is nice to have a collection of these suggestions to pick an actual tree from.

To remove the seasonal aspect of a fruit tree, place a bird feeder some where you can see it from the windows.

We have a poplar tree that was a woods tree before the lot was cleared, so bottom the branches are small and provide a lot of protection for the birds. We have a bird bath and bird feeder at the base of the tree. In the same area we have butterfly bush and have Miss Huff lantana, so we have birds, bees, and butterflies all through the warm season. I almost forgot the squirrel that are always doing something interesting.

Remember when you see a hawk take one of your birds that you are feeding the birds. and discrimination in eating establishments is illegal

A Japanese red maple would also be nice in your garden.

I already attract birds 4 seasons with a heated birdbath right in front of my window, just two arm lengths from where I am sitting at my desk. The small airy tree shall provide a perch for the birds as explained in the original post.

Please keep the focus of this thread on small airy trees, thanks!

(Japanese maples are unfortunately not hardy in my area)

You may also want to consider Malus 'Red Jade'. It has bright red 'jade liked' fruit that stays on in winter attracting birds. The downside of Malus is they have alternate year of heavy/light blooms like many other flowering trees.

Cercis canadensis can have hardiness issue in Zone 4 depending on the seed source. I have a couple in my Z4 cottage area. Although they survive, they can take a severe beating in a bad winter and have difficulty achieving a tree form.

Here
is a pic of the Malus 'Red Jade'

and here is a (semi) weeping form, beautiful!

May be high maintenance http://plants.connon.ca/11100004/Plant/965/Red_Jade_Flowering_Crab

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Thanks
for the caution, no wonder that the beautiful Cercis canadensis is rare around here.

A couple of pic from a few years back:

Looking through the kitchen window:

A closer look of the characteristic 'apple blossom' pink buds open to white:

It is typically high grafted on a 5-6 ft high stem.

Another rather different suggestion is pussy willows. I don't remember the last time someone mentioned one on this forum, since they don't really flower or set fruit, but here they provide enough cover that birds will sit there but we can see them.

Very good
suggestion, there are many pussy willow species, the following stood out in my searches.

American pussy
willow native to northern North America Salix discolor in fall color

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Goat willow native
to northern Europe and northwest Asia Salix caprea

Even these mature specimens are very airy.

The purpose: black-capped chickadee in pussy willow :-)

Found the airy Lenoir Blueberry below :-) Although all other Blueberries seem to be dense wherein birds would disappear. Could not find an airy Holly either, although there may be some.

Be aware that not all these photos you are posting are in full leaf, so keep that in mind as you judge foliage density. Many are spring bloomers taken at the peak of bloom, but their leaves are still unfolding. Some others also appear to be taken early enough in the season or in some cases late enough in the season to have less than full summer leaf appearance. If possible and you'd be willing to delay planting until next fall, you might want to visit an arboretum or botanic garden and actually see some of these plants midsummer to judge overall relative density.

IME, most high bush blueberries are less dense than many other types of shrubs, regardless of variety. My inlaws have a patch of something like 30 bushes of many different varieties, and they all are more open in structure than most ornamental shrubs.

Another possibility that I haven't seen anyone suggest is Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum 'Mariesii' which can get to 10' or so and has a layered growth tendency. In my garden in mostly shade is isn't particularly dense, but I haven't grown it in a site of more sun than shade.

A final suggestion is the deciduous winterberry holly, Ilex verticillata, which in my garden in almost full sun is fairly open (mine is the cultivar Winter Red). You will want a compatible male to get the berries, but it doesn't need to be particularly close.

In my garden, what spot a bird chooses for perching seems to vary a fair amount with the type of bird. So for instance, the perches most preferred by various flycatchers are the clematis obelisks which have some some foliage but offer great sight lines for them to see flying bugs, and are also great for me to watch them. The hummingbirds seem to prefer to have good visibility as well. In contrast, most of the warblers seem to prefer more dense foliage, and the sparrows are such a varied group that they choose a wide range of perches depending on species. So you might want to consider having some non-living perches along with your small tree/large shrub.

I know your main interest is visibility while perching to groom, but since your interest is being able to watch the birds, I find that having plants that provide either small fruit or insects will often get birds to stay longer in the area. I think the most popular tree in my yard was my Cornus alterifolia, which for much of August literally shook with the number of birds feeding on the fruit, but also had smaller birds hunting insects in warm weather, and it was a popular winter perch. Crabapples provide a lot of entertainment in February and March when cedar waxwings, robins, and grouse arrive to eat the freeze-softened fruit, and starting around now and extending into February, the deciduous hollies will attract various birds to the fruit. So if you have room for a couple of plants, consider at least one that will add fruit to the attraction that your water provides.

Comments and
suggestions well appreciated, NHBabs! Right next to the water, I do have a
man-made perch at 7' height where birds line up to bathe/drink. (I have other
bird attractants close to the water too, I don't want to go off topic.) The
particular Viburnum is not reliably hardy in my area, but here is a pic of the
Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' (first pic below.) I also found an airy White Fringe Tree Chionanthus virginucus (second pic below.) I realize that I am comparing
specimens at different ages, seasons, etc. but I have to start somewhere.

Ideally, the living
perch is at least 5' off the ground because of the cats in the neighborhood. (Sure, I
can limb up, but natural growth is almost always better, IMHO.) Apart from that, the name
of the tree almost does not matter for my purpose, as long as the living perch/crown is naturally
airy and the 'airiness' can be easily controlled as time goes by, e.g. in case of a multi-stem tree, remove a first stem after the first year, a second stem after the second year,
etc. , not that I like doing it. Still researching ...

Chionanthus virginucus, the native fringe tree has one huge problem at this point - it's susceptible to emerald ash borer which is present in the upper midwest, so I imagine may well be on its way to your area if it hasn't already arrived. Until there is a control for this bug, I'd not advise planting fringe trees.

Goat willow native
to northern Europe and northwest Asia Salix caprea

Even these mature specimens are very airy.

Those in that picture are not fully mature, they grow much larger than that. I think there are better salix species for your needs.

Have you concidered acer pseudosieboldianum? The korean maple is very hardy and at least a little airy, not at all like full size maple species with larger leaves.

I don't know how much space you have for this tree and how much clear area there will be around the birdbath. But you might want to bear in mind that there shouldn't be too much vegetation around a bird table (or bath). Although you want somewhere for the birds to perch it shouldn't be too close to the bath. There needs to be "a good all round view so that the birds can see they are safe from predators while they feed. The table should be safely away from cat ambush sites. These include fences and trees from which cats can leap and dense bushes in which they can hide." RSPB information

Can't you make any small tree 'airy' by pruning? It's fun to do and you can customize according to your needs.

I am responding to the previous postings in this one post, focussing on horticulture rather than birds.

Thanks for the
caution against the pest of the Fringe Tree.

The Salix discolor
is locally native to me. Any other Salix suggestions?

Below is a pic of
the Acer pseudosieboldianum, small garden birds are likely to disappear in the crown. To make this tree 'airy',
remove half of the leaves, then cut each of the remaining leaves to half size, and the tree dies, ouch. So, no, you can't "make any small tree 'airy' by pruning" even if it were practical. If you could make any small tree 'airy' - few small-sized leaves for low foliage density - then this thread would not be necessary.

I am re-posting the
schematic of the ideal living perch (second pic below) to be installed at about 15' from the house
wall, see also the original post of this thread. What is the most natural
and least-nature-manipulating way of installing it? Would appreciate 'been there done that' comments :-)

Another item for this virtual arboretum of small airy trees.

Common Witch Hazel Hamamelis virginiana

Hamamelis may be airy in bloom (as in your picture) but it will then produce plenty of leaves and become a fairly dense shrub or small tree.

Yeah, the Hamamelis
virginiana below has relatively large leaves, but there are relatively few
leaves on the specimen. The nice thing is that it is a fall bloomer. (The famous gardener in the photo is not me :-) but he provides a means for comparing sizes.)

I have been thinking
of planting the Amelanchier arborea, Salix discolor, and Hamamelis virginiana
as a husband-wife-child combo in the backyard, 2 trees in the background and 1
pruned as a shrub in the front, as seen from a window in the back of the house. It would be nice if the parents bloom in spring and the child in autumn :-)

As someone who has quite a number of H. virginiana, I agree with floral's comment about the lack of airiness/openness. They are far more dense than my Cornus alternifolia with large leaves that easily hide birds. They want to be multistemmed, particularly in sun, so your wish to do minimal pruning won't be fulfilled with this plant. The growth pattern you've shown in the original flowering photo is quite typical, and you would also want to buy this plant in the fall since many of them retain old foliage which obscures the bloom and sometimes clings for much of the winter.

The other thing that hasn't been mentioned here, but probably should be considered is that for much of the year there won't be full foliage on the tree. For me that means I have lightly leafed or bare branches from October - May and only have fully leafed trees for 4 months of the year.

Aha, thanks for the comment! If the Hamamelis virginiana is grown/pruned as a multi-stem bush, can I control the 'airiness' by removing entire stems? Would a mature specimen take, say a removal of a stem per growing season, well?

Would also appreciate comments on the trio planting of Amelanchier arborea, Salix discolor, Hamamelis virginiana, with the latter grown/pruned smaller as a multi-stem bush placed in front of the other two. I realize that this is a change from the ideal perch as depicted in the schematic that I posted, but the trio may work well together with minimal pruning, I am not sure.

Could you favour us with a picture of the space at your disposal? We've progressed from a request for a single airy tree to a plan for 3 quite sizeable plants which would take up a lot of room. I'm really having trouble picturing the situation which could take all 3 and remain 'airy'.

I don't usually prune my Hamamelis virginiana deliberately, but when a stem has had to be removed due to being in the way, it has responded by adding basal sprouts. Perhaps someone else has had different experiences.

I also am a bit puzzled by the switch in plan in your last post, since all three plants in your last post can get to be quite large and with the possible exception of Amalanchier, want to be multistemmed and so your plan sounds like a fair amount of dense foliage.

My backyard is nearly empty, so the focus is on how the trio will be arranged/spaced apart, see the planting map below. However, it sounds like the Hamamelis virginiana does not really want to be pruned smaller?

I don't have an overall backyard design yet, I am looking at cultivation bits and pieces right now. For next year, I plan on cultivating maybe 10% to 20% of the area, but it is good to know the issues beforehand should I plan on expanding.

From where I see it you're overthinking the whole thing and approaching it much too timidly and as a consequence, nothing will get done, and because your plans are so far out in the future, conditions can change and there goes your plans.

Why not just construct as perch for the birds out of lumber until you implement your plans?

As I mentioned just a few postings further back, I have in fact already a man-made perch at 7' height where birds line up to bathe/drink. I had more bird stuff included in previous postings but I subsequently edited most of the bird stuff out to focus on gardening.

(Bird forums discuss bird stuff on an on-going basis, this gardening forum is the wrong forum to do that. Please don't ask why I want a living perch, it is in the original post.)

You can't boldly prune a dense maple into an airy serviceberry either. I'd rather start with the best (most suitable) materials and work from there.

Plans for next spring is "so far out in the future"? Sure, garden plans can change, but I can do nothing in the next 4 or 5 months anyway. Why not advance the plans?

How about magnolia Virginiana australis...I have a few in my yard and they are really airy in terms of leaves however they are only a few years old. and flowers and the aroma is amazing. says hardy to zone 5. I am in zone 7. can you add some moisture to soil?

The particular magnolia is unfortunately not reliably hardy in my area. (Canadian plant hardiness zone 5a is about equivalent to USDA zone 4b, which is indeed a bit confusing.)

Continuing with the virtual arboretum, the Rhus
typhina 'Bailtiger' TIGER EYES in the pic below could replace the Hamamelis
virginiana as the 'child' in the trio planting. Missouri Botanical Garden says this particular Rhus grows
to 3'-6' x 3'-6' and suckers minimally, however, with many planters agreeing and equally as many
disagreeing in terms of both size and suckers. This particular Rhus seems to be particularly responsive to differing growing conditions.

Red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) is relatively light & airy. Easy to propagate as stick-in-the-ground-and-keep-watered twigs -- that's how mine was grown below:

chokeberry "brilliantissma" limbed up as a small tree?