Birds need shelter from predators and extreme weather to feel safe and secure. Adding bird-friendly shelters can be an easy way to attract more birds to your yard, offering better opportunities to observe birds in their natural habitat.
Birds are equipped to survive in specific habitats. Creating a variety of habitats for shelter will make your yard more appealing to birds. Offering a habitat that provides safety, weather protection and food will help ensure birds survive and thrive in your environment.
There are two types of shelter one can offer your feathered friends – natural and artificial.
Natural shelters include native trees, shrubs, brush piles, tall grasses and tree cavities. These will provide both food and protection. Native trees and shrubs are hosts to insects, which are a plentiful food supply to birds. Tall grasses offer seeds and camouflage.
Brush piles also create camouflage and a protective barrier from predators. Dead trees, or stags, can offer cavities for nesting, shelter from the elements and supply of insects for food. They provide a food source, shelter and nesting sites for a variety of birds.