Landscaping to Attract Birds in South Florida

While we have a large population of native birds that always need food, fall and spring are critical times to provide food for migrating birds.  Adding a few native shrubs and trees to your landscape can be very beneficial to our wildlife population.  -- Gene

 

FLORIDA HORTICULTURE DEPARTMENT OF ORNAMENTAL HORTICULTURE FACT SHEET

Florida Cooperative Extension Service Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida, Gainesville John T. Woeste, Dean for Extension

 

Landscaping to Attract Birds in South Florida

By Timothy K. Broschat and Stephen D. Verkade

Associate Professor - Tropical Ornamentals, and Associate Professor - Ornamental Horticulture, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, IFAS, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

 

One benefit of Florida living is the enjoyment of plants and wildlife in the landscape through most of the year. By proper plant selection, you can enhance your landscape to attract, feed, and shelter birds for year-round enjoyment. When selecting plants to incorporate into the landscape, keep in mind the need for birds to obtain shelter from inclement weather and from predators. A number of plant species can also attract birds by providing fruits as a source of food. Flowers of some species attract insects, which are in turn eaten by other types of birds. Migratory birds are particularly abundant along the coastal ridges in southern Florida. These birds can be attracted to landscapes by use of plants that provide seeds, fruits or insects during the fall and spring migrations. These food sources can be complemented by one or more bird feeders which must provide high quality seed with regularity. A good bird feeder should be conveniently located for viewing and large enough to hold food for at least 2-3 days, protect the seed from rain, and minimize seed spillage. Many bird guidebooks provide information on the bird species attracted by various seed types. Keep in mind that many of south Florida’s songbirds are migrants or winter residents, and will thus require food or cover during the fall, winter, and spring months only.

 

Landscape Principles to Attract Birds

 

Solid design concepts are important in any landscape project, and references on design principles are listed in this fact sheet under the heading of ‘Recommended References’. The following are additional considerations to remember when landscaping to attract birds.

 

· Provide shelter to entice birds into your yard and to protect them from the elements or predators.

 

· Select a variety of plants which offer a consistent supply of food over an extended period of time.

 

· Select plants that flower or fruit during the spring migrations and attract insects. Insects, in turn, attract insectivorous birds. In some areas in southern Florida, the flowering gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba) attracts  large numbers of warblers in their spring breeding plumage as they migrate northward.

 

· Design plantings which offer enough food to meet the needs of the birds.

 

· Provide a source of water for drinking and bathing. Moving water in a gently sloping basin or trough is particularly attractive to birds.

 

These criteria can be met by careful planning during the design phase of the landscape project. Select a variety of plants to extend the fruiting period for a year-round supply of food. Group plants together to create habitats attractive to birds. Be sure to include enough plants of each species to provide food in a volume great enough for the dietary needs of the birds attracted to your yard. The following listing is designed to assist you in selecting plants which have attributes particularly attractive to birds.

 

Table 1. Listing of plants for south Florida which attract birds; noting origin, plant type, plant part of value, season, and birds attracted.

 

Scientific Name	Common Name	Origin	Plant Type	Value	Season	Birds Attracted
Ardisia escallonioides	Marlberry	native	shrub	fruit	fall; winter	Fruit-eating birds
Asclepias curassavica	Scarlet Milkweed	exotic	shrubby perennial	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds
Bauhinia blakeana	Hong Kong Orchid	exotic	tree	flowers	winter; spring	Hummingbirds, Orioles, Warblers
Bursera simaruba	Gumbo Limbo	native	tree	fruit	summer	Mockingbirds, Vireos
Calliandra haematacephala	Powderpuff	exotic	shrub	flowers	winter	Hummingbirds
Callicarpa americana	Beautyberry	native	shrub	fruit	fall; winter	Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Catbirds, Thrashers
Calyptranthes pallens	Spicewood	native	shrub	fruit	fall	Fruit-eating birds
Cestrum spp.	Day and night-flowering jasmine	exotic	shrub	fruit	spring; fall	Mockingbirds, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Woodpeckers
Chrysobalanus icaco	Cocoplum	native	shrub	fruit	summer	Fruit-eating birds
Coccoloba diversifolia	Pigeon Plum	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Mockingbirds, Catbirds, Robins, Woodpeckers
Coccoloba uvifera	Seagrape	native	shrub; tree	fruit	year-round	Fruit-eating birds
Coccothrinax spp.	Silver palms	native	tree	fruit	summer	Mockingbirds, Blue Jays
Colubrina arborescens	Coffee colubrina	native	tree	flowers	spring	Warblers, Gnatcatchers, Vireos, Flycatchers
Dipholis salicifolia	Willow bustic	native	tree	fruit	summer	Fruit-eating birds
Eriobotrya japonica	Loquat	exotic	tree	fruit	winter	Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Woodpeckers
Eugenia uniflora	Surinam Cherry	exotic	shrub	fruit	spring	Mockingbirds, Waxwings, Orioles
Ficus spp.	Figs	native; exotic	tree	fruit; cover	year-round	Mockingbirds, Catbirds, BlueJays, Waxwings, Woodpeckers, Parrots
Forestiera segregata	Florida Privet	native	shrub	flowers	spring	Warblers, Vireos
Guapira discolor	Blolly	native	shrub; tree	fruit	summer	Fruit-eating birds
Hamelia patens	Firebush	native	shrub	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds
Ilex cassine	Dahoon Holly	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Waxwings
Juniperus silicicola	Southern Red Cedar	native	shrub; tree	fruit; cover	fall; winter	Tree Swallows, Waxwings, Mockingbirds, Flickers, Sapsuckers
Justicia brandegeana	Shrimp Plant	exotic	shrub	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds, Orioles, Buntings
Lysiloma spp.	Wild Tamarind	native	tree	flowers	spring; summer	Warblers, Flycatchers, Gnatcatchers
Malpighia glabra	Barbados Cherry	exotic	shrub	fruit	year-round	Fruit-eating birds
Malaviscus arboreus	Turk's Cap	exotic	shrub	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds, Painted Buntings
Morus rubra	Red Mulberry	native	tree	fruit	spring	Woodpeckers, Kingbirds, Blue Jays, Mockingbirds, and other Fruit-eating birds
Murraya paniculata	Orange-jasmine	exotic	shrub	fruit	summer; fall	Mockingbirds, Cardinals
Myrica cerifera	Wax myrtle	native	shrub	fruit	fall; winter	Warblers, Vireos, Tree Swallows, Cardinals, Mockingbirds, Catbirds
Myrsine guianensis	Florida Myrsine	native	shrub	fruit	fall; winter	Fruit-eating birds
Parthenocissus cinquefolia	Virginia Creeper	native	vine	fruit	summer; fall	Mockingbirds, Robins, Thrashers, Woodpeckers, Greta-crested Flycatchers
Persea americana	Avocado	exotic	tree	fruit	summer; fall	Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Orioles
Psychotria nervosa	Wild Coffee	native	shrub	fruit	summer; fall	Cardinals, BlueJays
Ptychosperma elegans	Solitaire Palm	exotic	tree	fruit	year-round	Mockingbirds, Blue Jays
Pyracantha coccinea	Firethorn	exotic	shrub	fruit	winter	Mockingbirds, Catbirds, Blue Jays, Waxwings, Woodpeckers
Quercus laurifolia	Laurel Oak	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Warblers, Vireos
Quercus virginiana	Live Oak	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Warblers, Vireos
Roystonea regia	Royal Palm	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Mockingbirds, Robins, Blue Jays
Sabal palmetto	Cabbage Palm	native	tree	fruit	fall; winter	Blackbirds, Blue Jays, Mockingbirds, Robins
Sambucus canadensis	Elderberry	native	shrub	fruit	summer; fall	Fruit-eating birds
Simarouba glauca	Paradise Tree	native	tree	fruit	spring	Fruit-eating birds
Sophora tomentosa	Necklace Pod	native	shrub	flowers	winter; spring	Hummingbirds, Warblers, Vireos
Tecomaria capensis	Cape Honeysuckle	exotic	vine	flowers	year-round	Hummingbirds, Catbirds, Orioles
Tetrazygia bicolor	Florida Tetrazygia	native	shrub	fruit	spring	Mockingbirds and other Fruit-eating birds
Thrinax spp.	Thatch Palms	native	tree	fruit	fall	Mockingbirds, Jays, and other Fruit-eating birds
Trema micrantha	Florida Trema	native	shrub	fruit	summer	Fruit-eating birds

 

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