Attract birds to your garden

Supply them with food

Whether you have a large site to restore, or planning a new garden at home, invite the birds over with plants that provide a year round supply of food.

A small garden can still attract birds, especially over winter and spring when tūī, bellbird and kererū (native wood pigeon) will travel considerable distances in search of flowers and fruit

Try to use ecosourced plants (plants that naturally occur in your area). These could include kōwhai, flax, kakabeak, and tarata for nectar; and wineberry, karamū, and korokia for fruit.

If you have limited space for big trees, try growing plants in containers, e.g. titoki, broadleaf and cabbage tree. Some shrubs like kakabeak can even be shaped to fit in with your garden design - but make sure you allow them to flower so the birds benefit.

Keep the birds safe

Plant favourite bird foods like flax and kōwhai where you can see them from inside the house. But avoid planting too close to the house as reflections on windows can confuse birds. A number of kererū are killed every year trying to fly through panes of glass.

Birds such as fantail, grey warbler and silvereye are insect eaters so plant varieties are not as important as a healthy mix of spiders, moths, beetles, and earthworms etc. A good layer of mulch or leaf litter on the garden will encourage insects, and birds are a natural way of keeping them under control. Ruru (morepork) and kingfisher eat insects as well as mice.

Some native birds have become wary about feeding on the ground. Think about growing ground creepers like Fuchsia procumbens in a hanging basket - a wonderful sight with red berries hanging down. Climbing plants like Metrosideros carminea (crimson rata) and Passiflora tetrandra (NZ passionfruit) could grow along a wall or over a pergola.

Stoats, rats, weasels, possums, cats and hedgehogs prey on birds, including their eggs and nestlings. If you want to keep the birds flourishing, controlling pests is a must. Setting traps, and laying poisons (toxins) in bait stations are suitable methods of control.

Habitat requirements

Before planting, check if there is already a reliable food source at the site in terms of fruiting, flowering and seeding trees. The thickness of leaf litter is also a factor for insect-feeding birds and lizards.

Wildlife has different requirements for nesting sites and hiding places. Kingfisher, morepork and longtailed bat, for example, prefer standing dead trees whilst lizards will use fallen logs.

Your site may not be large enough for some species to nest and breed but they may still use it as a seasonal feeding ground. Many areas of native bush and wetlands are now small and widely spaced across the landscape. Your garden may help birds move between these areas.

What to plant

There are many native trees, shrubs and climbers that look attractive in the garden and also provide shelter and food for wildlife. The following is a selection only, and not all will grow in every part of the country.

There are numerous hybrids and cultivars of native plants developed for garden situations. These should not be planted in or near natural bush to avoid cross-pollination.

The advantage of ecosourced plants is that native wildlife has coexisted with them for thousands of years, and has adapted to using them as a food source. Your local plant nursery should be able to advise further.

Monthly calendar of plants for birds

This monthly calendar shows when plants will provide nectar, fruit or seeds for native birds.

Key:
N - Nectar
FS - Fruit and seeds
FSN - Fruit, seeds and nectar

*     Species for which several individuals may have to be planted to ensure fruiting
+    Frost tender (especially when young)

Download the calendars

• Monthly calendar (PDF, 117K)
• Monthly calendar for the lower North Island (PDF, 228K)