With spring in full force, many birds are making visits to backyard feeders and native plants all around the community. You might recognize some of the visitors at your feeders, but others may be species you’ve never noticed before. Read on for an introduction to common visitors for our area and how you can attract them to your yard.
House Finch
The house finch is a common backyard visitor because they tend to favor human-curated habitats and are often found in suburban landscapes. These birds are native residents who are seen at feeders all year long. The male house finch has a red head and chest with a grayish-brown body. The female house finch is grayish-brown with black streaks on their back, chest and belly.
The house finch eats sunflower seeds and safflower seeds. If you are hoping to cater to these birds, they like large tube feeders and platform feeders for better access to these larger seeds. The house finch is known to be aggressive at the feeders and commonly fight off the non-native house sparrow to defend their territory.
Carolina Chickadee
The Carolina chickadee tends to frequent more natural habitats and is commonly found visiting the backyard feeders in our community all year long. Both the male and female adults have a bluish-gray body and a white belly. They have a black head and throat, and the sides of their face are white.
The Carolina chickadee enjoys sunflower seeds, suet, peanut hearts, and mealworms. They prefer platform feeders and cage feeders, as they like cling to the side of the feeder while they eat. The Carolina chickadee is known for their impressive memory and their intricate nest building techniques; for instance, they are adept at hiding food and finding it later as well as locating the same or similar nesting locations each year!
Eastern Bluebird
The Eastern bluebird is a year-round resident that favors park-like and open space habitats. The males have a beautiful deep blue back with a reddish-brown chest and belly. The females have a bluish-gray back, bright blue wingtips and tail, and a pale brown belly.
Eastern bluebirds feed mostly on mealworms, caterpillars, fruit, peanut hearts, and suet. They visit more platform feeders rather than tube feeders, and they also eat from the ground. The Eastern bluebird can struggle to carve out holes in the trees for their nests, so they tend to occupy pre-existing holes and notches in wood. For this reason, they commonly inhabit manmade bird boxes in the garden.
American Robin
The American robin is another year-round resident that likes open space habitats. The adult American Robin has a gray back and wings, a black head with a bright yellowish beak, and a reddish-brown chest and belly.
These birds eat mealworms, sunflower seeds, suet, and peanut hearts. The American robin likes to eat from a platform feeder and from the ground. American robins can live to be over 14 years old! In many cultures, these birds symbolize good luck, happiness, and renewal.
Northern Mockingbird
The Northern mockingbird is a year-round resident that enjoys all types of habitats. They are common in yards, parks, and more forested areas. In fact, the Northern mockingbird is the state bird for Texas! The adults have a gray back and a whiteish gray chest and belly. They have signature white patches on their tails and on the insides on their wings that are best seen when they are flying.
The Northern mockingbird eats sunflower seeds, suet, fruit, and mealworms from platform feeders. The mockingbird can sing up to 200 songs, which include mimicked songs from other birds and sounds from insects and amphibians.
