How to Attract Birds to Your Garden

With a few simple steps you can attract birds to your garden. What can be more enjoyable than waking up to birdsong? However as gardens become smaller, less trees are planted and the number of birds visiting is reduced. This guide is suitable for all garden sizes and a number of plants are recommended to entice the birds back into your garden. Birds are attracted by plants that provide food sources such as berries and seeds also those that provide nectar. Many birds are also attracted by the insects that a well planted environment encourages.

Native plants for smaller gardens

Common Name	Botanical Name	Fruiting/Flowering Time	Approx. height
Coprosmas	Coprosma species	Autumn	Wide range
Corokias	Corokia species	Autumn	Wide range
Pittosporum	Pittosporum species	Winter	Wide range
Kakabeak	Clianthus Kaka King	Late Winter	2m X 2m
Pohutakawa	Metrosideros excelsa	Summer	Wide range
Flaxes	Phormium species	Summer	up to 1.5m X 1.5m
Kowhai Sophora	Dragons Gold	Late winter	1m X 1m
Kowhai	Sophora species	Spring	Wide range
Five Finger	Pseudopanax species	Spring	Wide range

Native plants for larger gardens

Common Name	Botanical Name	Fruiting/Flowering Time	Approx. Height
Wineberry	Aristotelia serrata	Summer	5m X 3m
Putaputaweta	Carpodetus serratus	Autumn	5m X 3m
Kawakawa	Macropiper excelsum	Late summer	4m X 2.5m
Konini	Fuchsia excorticata	Spring	10m X 4m
Southern rata	Metrosideros umbellata	Summer	3m X 2m
Tarata	Pittosporum eugenoides	Spring	5m X 3m
Puriri	Vitex lucens	All year	6m X 5m
Totara	Podocarpus totara	Autumn	6m X 4m

General plants to attract birds

Botanical Name	Fruiting/Flowering Time	Approx. Height
Banksia Varieties	Available for year round	Wide range
Callistemon Spring	Autumn	Wide range
Grevillea Varieties	Available for year round	Wide range
Prunus campanulata	Early spring	4m X 3m
Viburnum Varieties	Available for year round	Wide range

Climbers to attract birds

Botanical Name	Fruiting/Flowering	Time
Metrosideros	Carminea	Spring
Tecomanthe	speciosa	Winter
Pyracantha*		Autumn/winter

*Pyracantha can be trained against walls or grown as shrubs. By planting a selection of these plants you will be able to attract an array of native birds to your garden such as: Tuis, Silver Eyes, native Pigeons, Bell birds and Fantails.