11 Berry-Bearing Native Plants to Keep Birds Full and Happy

Birds delight us all year long, but their cheery presence is especially welcome in the coldest, darkest months. Winter presents challenges for birds, too, as many food sources they rely on are scarce. Fortunately, no matter where you live, you can provide berry-producing native plants that support them in these tough times and throughout the year.

“When most people think about foods for birds, they think of the beautiful summer flowers,” says Marlene Pantin, senior program manager of Plants for Birds at Audubon. But to really support wildlife, she says, gardeners should consider the whole calendar. With the right native plants, she says, “You can provide food that is available to birds all year long.” Native berries can be especially valuable: The earliest ripen in late spring, with many others appearing through the summer and fall—and several native plants produce or hold onto berries through the leanest months of winter.

Choosing the right plants for where you live is key, Pantin says. Audubon’s Native Plants Database is a great place to get started finding the best plants for your area and the birds that love them. Keep in mind that many berry-bearing plants have several varieties, and while some may be native to your area, others could be imported cultivars—and some species go by different colloquial names in different regions. To make sure you’re getting the right plant, take note of its Latin name (for example: American Holly is Ilex opaca), Pantin says: “That’s something you can take to your local nursery.” Note also that in some species only female plants produce berries (and require a male plant nearby for fertilization)—another great question for your local nursery or native plant society. 

Local birds will enjoy the bounty, and growing plants that produce berries has other perks. “Winter is often drab. All of the sudden you’ll have these beautiful colors popping up,” Pantin says. “Not only does it provide food for birds, it provides beauty to your space.” 

Beautyberry 
Callicarpa species 

The vibrant magenta fruits of the beautyberry not only deserve their flattering name—they are also irresistible to dozens of bird species that overlap with the woody shrub across its native range in the southeastern United States, northern Mexico, and the Caribbean, including mockingbirds, thrushes, and Black-throated Blue Warblers. Berries appear in the fall and persist through the winter. 

Dogwood 
Cornus species 

Of around 50 dogwood species worldwide, 16 are native to the United States, in both shrub and tree varieties. Red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea), also known as red osier, is particularly welcome in wintertime, when its stems turn a striking red. The shrub’s bluish-white berries appear in late summer or early fall and often hang on through the colder months, if a bit shriveled, providing food for many species of birds. 

Cedars and junipers 
Juniperus species 

Native North American “cedars” are in fact members of the cypress family, along with junipers. The blue “berries” of these shrubby trees, such as Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) and Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum), are actually wax-covered cones that remain soft and fleshy. Inside are nutritious seeds favored by bird species such as Cedar Waxwings, Hermit Thrushes, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. The hardy fruit ripens in the fall and can remain on branches through the winter, when scaly evergreen foliage also offers shelter to birds at a time when many other trees are bare. 

Hawthorn 
Crataegus species 

Bright red hawthorn fruit, called haws, ripen in late summer or fall and can remain on branches well into winter, when the plant stands out in the often dull landscape: “Can’t miss it,” Pantin says. Birds including Pine Grosbeaks and American Robins flock to native varieties. Most iconic of hawthorn’s diners, Pantin says, is the Cedar Waxwing. “It loves to gobble those berries up,” she says. 

Holly 
Ilex species 

A wildly diverse plant family, hollies come in many shapes and sizes and flourish across much of the planet. A few varieties are native to the United States, including American holly (Ilex opaca), and possumhaw, (Ilex decidua), which both boast vivid red berries that ripen in the fall. One variety native to the Atlantic coastal plain, called inkberry (Ilex glabra), bears shiny purple-black fruit. The aptly named winterberry (Ilex verticillata) is a particular favorite of birds, including Eastern Bluebirds and Northern Mockingbirds—and gardeners. “I love seeing those berries in the winter, when the leaves are gone and all you’re seeing is red,” Pantin says. “The birds just come and devour them.” 

Mountain ash 
Sorbus species 

With clusters of brilliant red or orange berries that can hang on for much of the year, native mountain ash trees brighten a dreary winter day. Their fruit also offers needed calories to birds such as Bohemian Waxwings and Pine Grosbeaks. As with many berry-producing plants, imported cultivars are common, so consult with your local nursery or native plant society about which varieties are right for where you live. 

Southern arrowwood 
Viburnum dentatum 

Native to much of the eastern United States, arrowwood shrubs can support wildlife in your yard throughout the year. In the spring and early summer, small white flowers attract bees and butterflies. The blue-black berries that follow often persist through the winter, when birds need them most. 

Sumac 
Rhus species 

Relatives of mango, cashew, and pistachio plants, North American sumacs grow as both shrubs and trees and thrive in a wide variety of environments. Their berries, which grow in deep red clusters, are very sour and not very fatty. Birds will pass them over when more appealing fruit is available in late summer and early fall, but many species dine on the long-lasting sumac berries in deep winter, when other options are scarce. The fruit of one variety, staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), is covered in a velvety red fuzz, making the plant an especially impressive addition to a winter garden.  

Toyon 
Heteromeles arbutifolia 

Birds in coastal California and northern Baja California don’t have to content themselves with only dry, shriveled berries long past their prime—they can feast on the red berries of toyon, a shrub that reaches its full glory in wintertime. California Scrub-Jays number among the many birds that enjoy toyon fruit.  

Trumpet (or coral) honeysuckle 
Lonicera sempervirens 

“You’ve got to be careful with honeysuckles, because some kinds are invasive,” Pantin cautions, but native varieties like Lonicera sempervirens, called trumpet or coral honeysuckle, make a dynamic addition to a garden. High-climbing vines of trumpet honeysuckles can grow up to 20 feet long and in the warmer months produce red tubular flowers much favored by hummingbirds. Their equally vibrant berries often hold on through winter, to the benefit of fruit-eating birds including finches and American Robins. 

Virginia creeper 
Parthenocissus quinquefolia 

Highly adaptable, Virginia creeper is a common sight across much of the United States. “In any urban area, in any city park, you can see it growing,” Pantin says. The vine—vivid red and studded with denim-blue berries—is easy to cultivate at home: “It can grow anywhere: in any yard, any corner, across any wall.” As with other vines, you’ll need to manage its growth and spread, but Pantin advises gardeners to wait till spring to do any pruning, to allow birds including chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers to benefit from the fruit. “If it’s a native plant providing food for birds,” Pantin says, “leave it alone through the winter.”