Newsletter Articles
Winter Bird Gardens: Helping Backyard Birds in the Cold
Cold months are hard on backyard birds, as the natural food, water, and cover they rely on all grow scarce. A winter bird garden supplies those basics, high-energy food from clean feeders and native plants, fresh water, and sheltering cover, so your yard supports birds through the season, even in mild Southern California.
Quick answer: Give winter birds food, clean water, and cover, and keep the feeders clean.
- Birds need three things in winter: food, fresh water, and cover, and natural food gets harder to find.
- Offer high-energy foods like black-oil sunflower seed and suet.
- Clean feeders about every week or two with a one-part-bleach-to-nine-parts-water solution to slow the spread of bird diseases.
- Keep fresh water available for drinking and bathing, and change it often.
- Add evergreen cover and native berry plants like toyon, and keep cats indoors.
- For the Anna’s hummingbirds that stay all winter, use a nectar of one part sugar to four parts water, with no dye or honey.
| Need | How to provide it | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Food | High-energy seed and suet from feeders, plus seeds and berries from plants. | Natural food is scarce in winter, so extra calories matter most then. |
| Clean feeders | Wash about every week or two with a one-to-nine bleach solution and dry before refilling. | Dirty feeders spread diseases like salmonellosis between birds. |
| Water | A birdbath with fresh water, changed every couple of days. | Birds need water for drinking and bathing year-round. |
| Shelter | Evergreen trees and shrubs, brush piles, and roosting boxes. | Cover protects birds from cold, wind, and predators. |
| Native plants | Native berry shrubs and seed plants such as toyon and coffeeberry. | Natives supply berries, seeds, and the insects birds need. |
What Backyard Birds Need in Winter
Helping birds through winter comes down to three basics. The National Audubon Society lists them as the right mix of quality food, a source of fresh water for drinking and bathing, and ample cover from native plants, and notes that birds often rely most heavily on feeders in winter, when food is scarce.[1] A good winter bird garden simply makes all three easy to find in one yard. The rest of this guide covers each one, starting with the food and feeders most people reach for first.
Feeding Birds and Keeping Feeders Clean
Start with high-energy foods, then commit to keeping the feeders clean, which matters more than most people realize. The Cornell Lab notes that black oil sunflower seed attracts the largest range of species, while nyjer seed draws finches such as lesser goldfinches and pine siskins, and suet is used most in cooler weather by woodpeckers, chickadees, and nuthatches.[2] Whatever you offer, clean the feeders on a schedule. Cornell Lab’s Project FeederWatch recommends cleaning feeders every week or two, and more often in heavy use or wet weather, by scrubbing off debris and soaking the parts for about ten minutes in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water, then drying them before refilling.[3] This is not optional tidiness: the Audubon Society warns that feeders can spread diseases such as salmonellosis and house finch eye disease between birds, so it advises cleaning about every two weeks, doubling that if you see any sick birds, and never handling a sick or dead bird yourself but contacting a local wildlife rehabilitator instead.[4] A few other habits protect birds too: keep cats indoors, especially near active feeders,[5] and skip bread, which Audubon notes is mostly empty calories for birds.[6] For help choosing seed and feeders, see our guide to bird seed, feeders, and hummingbird food.
Water and Shelter
Food gets the attention, but water and cover are just as important in a winter bird garden. The Audubon Society recommends providing water in a sturdy birdbath placed in a sunny, visible spot, and changing it often so it stays fresh for drinking and bathing.[7] In Southern California, where hard freezes are rare on the coast, that fresh water is a draw all year. For cover, the same source suggests sheltering the yard with a border of native trees and shrubs and adding brush piles or nest boxes that double as winter roosting spots.[7] Evergreens are especially useful because they hold their cover through the cold months; see our picks of evergreen plants that stay green all year for shelter that works in winter.
Native Plants That Feed Birds
The most lasting way to feed birds is not a feeder at all, but the plants in your yard. The Audubon Society explains that native plants harbor more insects and yield more berries than non-natives, which matters because an estimated 96 percent of land birds feed insects to their chicks, and native plants host the caterpillars and other bugs that supply them.[8] For a Southern California winter garden, toyon is a standout: Calscape describes it as an evergreen shrub whose vibrant clusters of scarlet winter berries are eaten by many birds, including mockingbirds, American robins, and cedar waxwings.[9] Both toyon and coffeeberry are listed by the California Invasive Plant Council as recommended, non-invasive native shrubs for Southern California landscapes, so they feed birds without becoming a weed problem.[10] Feeders are best thought of as a supplement to this kind of habitat rather than a replacement for it. For more bird-friendly planting ideas, see our guide to building a Southern California hummingbird garden.
Year-Round Hummingbirds in Southern California
One winter bird is a Southern California specialty: the Anna’s hummingbird does not migrate away for the cold season. The Audubon Society notes that the Anna’s hummingbird truly hunkers down for winter and even thrives in it, helped by a body size that makes it relatively cold-tolerant, and that it has long made its home in southern California.[11] To support them, keep a nectar feeder going through winter. Audubon’s recipe is one quarter cup of refined white sugar dissolved in one cup of boiling water, a one-to-four ratio, with no red dye, which is unnecessary and could harm birds, and never honey, which can promote dangerous fungal growth.[12] Because sugar water spoils quickly, hummingbird feeders need cleaning and refilling every couple of days, more often than seed feeders.[3] Our guide to attracting hummingbirds year-round goes deeper on keeping them happy.
Want to turn your yard into a winter haven for birds? Stop by any Green Thumb Nursery and our team can help you choose native berry plants, evergreen cover, feeders, and the right seed for the birds in your area.
Winter Bird Garden FAQ
How do I help birds in winter?
Provide the three basics: food, fresh water, and cover. The Audubon Society recommends quality food, a birdbath for drinking and bathing, and ample cover from native plants, since natural food is scarce in winter.[1]
What should I feed birds in winter?
High-energy foods. The Cornell Lab notes black oil sunflower seed attracts the widest range of birds, nyjer draws finches, and suet is especially valuable in cold weather for woodpeckers and chickadees.[2]
How often should I clean a bird feeder?
About every week or two, and more in heavy use or wet weather. Project FeederWatch advises soaking the cleaned parts for about ten minutes in a one-part-bleach-to-nine-parts-water solution and drying them before refilling.[3]
Do hummingbirds stay in Southern California in winter?
Yes. The Audubon Society notes that the Anna’s hummingbird is a cold-tolerant resident that stays through winter and has long made its home in southern California, so a clean nectar feeder helps it year-round.[11]
What plants provide food for birds?
Native berry and seed plants, which also host insects. The Audubon Society notes native plants yield more berries and bugs than non-natives, and Calscape lists toyon, with its scarlet winter berries, as a favorite of mockingbirds, robins, and cedar waxwings.[9]
Sources
- [1] National Audubon Society, The Audubon Guide to Winter Bird Feeding: audubon.org
- [2] Cornell Lab, All About Birds, Types of Bird Seed: allaboutbirds.org
- [3] Cornell Lab, Project FeederWatch, Feeding Birds: feederwatch.org
- [4] National Audubon Society, Keep Your Bird Feeder Disease-Free: audubon.org
- [5] National Audubon Society, Lock Up Your Cats, Do It For The Birds: audubon.org
- [6] National Audubon Society, 11 Tips for Feeding Backyard Birds: audubon.org
- [7] National Audubon Society, Winterize Your Yard for Birds: audubon.org
- [8] National Audubon Society, Why Native Plants Are Better for Birds and People: audubon.org
- [9] Calscape (California Native Plant Society), Toyon: calscape.org
- [10] California Invasive Plant Council, Dont Plant a Pest Southern California: cal-ipc.org
- [11] National Audubon Society, Where Do Hummingbirds Go in the Winter: audubon.org
- [12] National Audubon Society, How to Make Hummingbird Nectar: audubon.org
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