Flowering tree branches with clusters of pale purple blossoms and small green leaves.

10 Native Trees to Attract Birds

Dori Wittrig August 23, 2023

Urban and suburban development always results in the loss of habitat for native wildlife, especially birds. Landscaping with wildlife in mind means that you are providing for the vital needs of local and migratory birds who rely on these plants for shelter, food, and nesting for their young. Native plants are the best choice because they provide exactly the right amenities for the local wildlife that has evolved to rely on these plants for their survival. Here are ten of the best plants you can include in your desert landscape.
 

Ironwood (Olneya Tesota)

 
This tree is a bird sanctuary that provides a dense canopy for protection and protein-rich pods with seeds.
 

Velvet Mesquite (Prosopis Velutina)

Broad-canopied desert tree in a rocky landscape with a smaller tree and distant hills
 
Birds love these canopies for breeding, nesting, and roosting sites. Birds love the insects that are attracted to it along with the seeds and sweet fleshy pods.
 

Prickly Pear (Opuntia species)

Prickly pear cactus with magenta fruit beside blue water.
 
This plant is a great escape cover for many birds. The juicy fruit is prized by many bird species and the flowers attract butterflies and other pollinating insects.
 

Desert Marigold (Baileya Mutiradiata)

Yellow wildflowers growing around a weathered tree stump.
 
If you give this plant a little water in the summer, it will produce flowers all year. Doves, sparrows, and finches love the seeds.
 

Blue Palo Verde (Cercidium Floridium)

Yellow-blooming tree in a desert-landscaped residential streetscape.
 
Arizona’s state tree puts on a spectacular display of yellow flowers in the spring and provides shelter and seeds for native bird species.
 

Desert Willow (Chilopsis Linearis)

Pink blossoms cover a leafy tree against a clear blue sky.
 
From April through September, this tree produces beautiful orchid-like flowers. Hummingbirds and verdins sip the nectar from its flowers and several other bird species enjoy its seeds in the fall.
 

Saltbush (Artiplex Canescens)

Native desert trees with pale green leaves beneath a clear blue sky.
 
The seeds of the bush are enjoyed by various birds including quail, doves, towhees, and finches. It also gives birds cover and nesting.
 

Chuparosa (Justicia Californica)

Flowering Sonoran desert scrub with red blossoms and purple-blue flowers before a rugged mountain range.
 
The red tubular flowers of this plant are prized by hummingbirds, blooming throughout fall and winter.
 

Fairy Duster (Calliandra Eriophylla)

Red powder-puff flower with long stamens among feathery green leaves.
 
This plant with feathery red flowers provides nutritious seed pods for birds as well as nectar.
 

Globe Mallow (Sphaeralcea Ambigua)

Orange-red flowers with yellow centers bloom on a branching plant.
 
These showy stalks of orange flowers bloom in spring and sometimes in fall. Doves, quail, and sparrows feed on the seeds.

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