During winter, our gardens take on a touch of magic as colorful feathered guests come to visit us. Despite many birds migrating to warmer areas, these tough species come to our areas and provide movement to our frozen landscaping. Your garden can become a busy bird sanctuary during the quiet months of winter by creating a welcoming winter garden.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check PricePro Tip
Save this article for later so you don't lose it. Enter your email and I'll send it to you now—plus you'll get my favorite backyard birding tips delivered to your inbox.
The most important investment for winter bird watching is a heated bird bath. Finding open liquid water is much more difficult for birds than finding food. A constant water source will attract birds to your feeders that you have never seen before.
1. Northern Cardinal
The bright red plumage of a male Northern Cardinal is stunning against the white snow of a winter landscape. Northern Cardinals are year-round residents and are loyal to their territories. They will visit reliable food sources during the winter months as well. To keep Northern Cardinals visiting your feeders, fill them with black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, and cracked corn. When building your yard to be home to many Northern Cardinals, consider dense evergreen shrubs. They will appreciate shelter from the harsh winter weather, so the addition of arborvitae, spruce, or juniper to your yard will make it a cardinal heaven.
Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Bird Food 25lb
Check Price2. Black-capped Chickadee
These brave little birds are full of personality, sports white cheeks and a black cap, and are a joy to have in winter gardens. The chickadee call of “chick-a-dee-dee-dee”, rings out in the cold winter days. Most birds have gone silent, but chickadees are partial to suet, peanuts, and black oil sunflower seeds. These provide the high-energy fuel the bird needs to survive frigid nights. With a little patience standing still holding seeds, it’s not uncommon for these curious birds to eat seed from your hands.
More Birds Suet Cage Bird Feeder Black
Check Price3. Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Juncos are often referred to as “snowbirds” and are usually seen in northern gardens in winter. They spend their summers in the boreal forests of Canada. Dark-eyed Juncos are slate-gray with white bellies and have white outer tail feathers. They are primarily ground feeders, and hop around on the ground under bird feeders to eat fallen seeds. If you want to attract Dark-eyed Juncos, scatter some millet, cracked corn, and oil sunflower seeds, or set up a ground-level platform feeder. They also prefer living in brush piles and evergreen shrubs to escape from predators.
Did You Know?
Get our free Hummingbird Attraction Guide! Plus, we'll send you our best tips for attracting more birds to your yard.
Juncos are nicknamed 'snowbirds' since they show up in backyards at the same time the first snowfalls.
4. American Goldfinch
American Goldfinches change their summer yellow plumage for an olive-brown plumage to blend with their winter environment. During winter they stay social and feed in a little flock. They bring movement to winter gardens. Their favorite food is Nyjer (thistle) seeds. Use special mesh feeders or “thistle socks” to feed them. The little finches will be able to pull (thistle) seeds from the mesh. They forage for natural foods on the coneflowers and sunflowers throughout winter. Don’t be in a hurry to cut down your garden plants.
Product
Check Price5. Blue Jay
Blue Jays can be seen in winter gardens due to their vivid blue feathers and boisterous calls. They bring excitement and vivid colors to winter gardens. These birds are known to be smart, as they particularly enjoy peanuts in their shells, whole corn kernels, and sunflower seeds. They engage in caching behavior and carry many seeds away to hide them. This helps to regenerate forests because they are unintentionally planting trees from their forgotten caches. Blue Jays are also great at being in the neighborhood watch club. They loudly call out to warn of the presence of hawks, cats, or other threats and alert smaller birds. They do this as a service to the smaller birds.
6. White-breasted Nuthatch
Watching birds in winter is very amusing as the White-breasted Nuthatch's unique behavior of walking head on down tree trunks is always fun to observe. These birds enjoy suet and peanuts, as well as sunflower seeds. They capture the food and wedge it into tree bark and use their sharp bills to crack it open. Their nasal “yank-yank” call helps to locate them while they search the tree bark to inspect insects. A safe way to provide natural foraging opportunities is to leave dead trees or snags in your landscape (as safe to do so).
7. Downy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker is the smallest North American woodpecker. Downy Woodpeckers have striking black-and-white plumage and add energetic movements that are enjoyable in winter. Male Downy Woodpeckers have a small red patch behind their head, which brightens up winter gardens. Downy Woodpeckers are regulars at suet feeders and visit their favored feeders throughout the day. They like black oil sunflower seeds and peanuts in addition to suet. Downy Woodpeckers forage for insect larvae hidden in the bark, so when it's not a danger, leave some dead branches and stumps to garden for dead wood for overwintering insect larvae.
8. Tufted Titmouse
The Tufted Titmice have cheerful and charming personalities which show as they visit winter bird feeders and make many visits to each feeder. They have soft gray feathers and large dark eyes. These inquisitive birds take one seed and fly to a perch where they crack it open using their feet. They can be heard whistling a clear call of 'peter-peter-peter' which brightens even the coldest winter mornings. Titmice enjoy and readily visit feeders that have sunflowers and peanuts and suet. They also appreciate nesting boxes which can be left year round. They use them to roost during the winter's coldest nights.
9. Red-bellied Woodpecker
While Red-bellied Woodpeckers might suggest on their namesake that they have red bellies is in fact very inaccurate, as most prominent feature lies on their heads that have caps and napes that are red. The belly is just a very slight wash. With their zebra patterned backs they are quite a sight in winter gardens and their distinctive rolling chur calls add to the tropical vibe. They are especially attracted to suet, peanuts, sunflower seeds and safflower. These woodpeckers are notably bold at and even chase away smaller birds which makes winter bird watching quite dramatic.
10. Eastern Bluebird
One of the most stunning sights in the winter is the contrast of snowy scenes with brilliant shades of blue. Snowy scenes look striking with bluebird colors. One common bluebird species migrates south during winter, but some of them stay in the cold northern US winters. They stay in the cold northern US winters when food sources are reliable. Eastern Bluebirds are especially attracted to gardens that have winterberry holly, American beautyberry, and eastern red cedar. During winter when insects are unavailable, eastern bluebirds will eat mealworms that are placed on platform feeders. Bluebird houses that are not taken down during winter are important for eastern bluebirds because they provide bedrooms for eastern bluebirds to roost at night. Many eastern bluebirds snuggle together in one bluebird house during very cold winter nights in order to stay warm.
Pro Tip
As many as 19 bluebirds have been noted to roost together in one nest box on cold winter nights, so consider leaving your bluebird houses up year-round to fulfill their secondary purpose as winter roost boxes!
