Observational study at Seattle arboretum revealed that regionally native conifer species were much preferred by native songbirds to those originating elsewhere. Even within the same tree genera.

Welcome. Where are you located?

tj

I am located in Central Kentucky.

Most conifer species will be attractive to birds but as Embothrium pointed out, native species are always the first choice to appeal most to native bird populations.

I've got native and non-native conifers, but Norway Spruce has noticeably more bird activity than all others. It provides better cover for them vs. the more open White & Red Pines. This opinion is based solely on personal observation.

Norway Spruce has noticeably more bird activity than all others.

I forgot to put native songbirds in my previous post - there's an Old World tree full of starlings or house sparrows and then there is one being preferred by native birds. And again what was seen in Seattle was native trees being more of a draw - not that there was no use of the exotic species at all. Other than that if the Norway spruce in the one instance was instead a native spruce it might be used more than the pines as well - the thing to be compared would be amount of attraction between the Norway spruce and a native spruce of similar size.

Consider planting native Red Cedars, they provide natural habitat as well as the berries which many birds eat. The grow all over US even here in Florida. They will occasionally pop up in my pastures and I'm glad to have them.

Try to plant only native plants as they grow better than other plants. Plus your local birds and animals need them for food and shelter.

I have a nice sized cushion Blue Spruce that my birds love. I’m in Missouri.

how much property do you have ... some of the suggestions end up being telephone poles .. some much faster than others ...

ken

0.1 acres

I've got pines and cedars, and the cedars are usually more popular than the pines are. That might be more because of where the trees are in the yard rather than the kinds of trees though.

4,356 square feet? So maybe 60‘ x 75’? Taking out space for a house and a sidewalk or driveway, you will need suggestions for shrubs, not trees.

That's the land I have. Do you have any suggestions for shrubs?

Rhododendrons on the side of my house provide pretty good cover (I can see them flitting about in there thru my window), but any dense evergreen, trees or shrubs, provides cover for the birds. I can't think of any pine that is dense enough for real cover tho.

In my medium sized yard in town, I noticed the birds like to land on the bare branches of my smaller deciduous trees first, before they go to the feeder (25-30 ft. away)

I surmise, this is so they can check out the area around the feeder for any dangers real or perceived.

you will need suggestions for shrubs, not trees

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bazinga little bug ... always helps to get to the nub of the issue .. eh.. lol ..

how about a pic or 2.. so you get some actual info that will help you ... otherwise.. we are just shooting in the dark ...

do you have any secondary goals for your backyard landscaping??? ... frankly.. any plant will attract and host birds ... especially if they get a bit of height to keep the cats away .... etc ...

are you wanting to block the neighbors view.. ... etc ... grow a flower garden.. veg.. etc ... many shrubs will also get rather large ... and take up precious space.. unless properly pruned back every few years ...

im not sure with such a small space.. i would use the birds as a major part of the equation ...

ken

OP already took out house & drive to come up with .1 acre

multi level heights are what to shoot for

I happen to have colorado spruce right next to bird feeder...not native

but cover is cover,,,they love it

ron

PS . colorado spruce is no longer recommended for humid locals

I know there's a lot of factors to potentially consider so I wanted to just pick your brains as part of my research. So far in this thread, spruce appears to be universally favored in people's memories for having birds in them.

Thanks so much!

xclumsygrdner asks a good question, its one that I ask all the time.

The Carolina Parakeet may no longer be with us but those b. cypress cones are packed with seed that many birds seek out.

There used to be an urban myth that cedar waxwings wax their wings with berries of red cedar. Let's just say many birds eat the small blue berries all winter long.

colorado spruce is no longer recommended for humid locals

I would think humid locals would much prefer to get dry with bath towels anyway.

Thank you, Sam, for introducing me to the Carolina Parakeet. I'm familiar with the Passenger Pigeon, but this amazing bird escaped me. Is this true: "The last captive Carolina parakeet, Incas, died at the Cincinnati Zoo on February 21, 1918, in the same cage as Martha, the last passenger pigeon, who died in 1914."

Native pines produce caterpillars which the birds forage for to feed their young. Additionally native pines will have specialized relationships with wildlife that Norway spruce simply will not. Anecdotally, the only time I have ever seen an owl in the wild (on a guided walk in a park), it was in a pine tree, and then another fleeing from a row of red cedars.

Here's a video with a University of Delaware entemologist talking about the advantage of natives, wish there was a shorter version but he makes a good case for them https://youtu.be/7Fxbq44HQpc

Pinus virginiania, Pinus rigida, Pinus echinata, and Pinus strobus are native in Kentucky. Listing of nurseries selling natives in Kentucky: https://www.knps.org/native-plant-nurseries/

A few years ago I bought a Korean pine. While sitting on my side patio waiting for its spot to be cleared and prepped a robin built a nest in it.

Birds seem to love my island planting of Eastern Hemlocks.

Where i live in Ohio the most attractive conifer to birds i would say is the eastern red cedar (juniperus virginiana.) Robins build their first nest of the year in it, and bluebirds and waxwings eat the berries in winter. Only the female trees have berries. "Grey Owl" is a female cultivar that is more shrublike and might fit in your space.