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Where do the plant recommendations come from?

USDA PLANTS for native ranges, Doug Tallamy's research and the National Wildlife Federation's Native Plant Finder for ecological value, plus Audubon's Plants for Birds database and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for regional fit.

Are these all native plants?

Yes. Every recommendation is genuinely native to the area associated with your ZIP code.

Why is this bird-driven instead of plant-driven?

Most planners start with your climate zone and give you a generic native plant list. This one starts with the birds you actually want to attract, then filters plants to the ones that support those species.

Plants for Birds in New York

Native New York plants that genuinely support the birds you want in your yard.

New York's bird life spans more than any other northeastern state. Common Loons call across Adirondack lakes. Peregrine Falcons nest on Manhattan bridges. Wood Thrushes still sing in Catskill ravines. And Long Island sits squarely in the Atlantic Flyway, funneling shorebirds and warblers through every spring and fall.

Native New York plants do work that lawn grass and big-box ornamentals can't. They host the caterpillars and insects that 96% of New York songbirds rely on to feed their chicks. Oaks, hickories, cherries, and hemlocks built the forests that shaped this avifauna, and the plants that built those forests are still the ones that feed them today.

Enter your New York ZIP code in the tool below. The planner will filter every plant in our database to the ones genuinely native to your part of New York — Adirondacks, Hudson Valley, Long Island, Finger Lakes, or NYC — and useful for the birds you actually want. Pick the species — Eastern Bluebirds, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Wood Thrushes, or all of them — and we'll give you a plant list that does the work.

Native New York plants that genuinely support birds

A few of the most useful native New York plants for birds:

Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra) — Hosts hundreds of caterpillar species and feeds nestlings of nearly every New York songbird.
Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) — Year-round cover for chickadees, kinglets, and Pine Siskins. Seeds for nuthatches and crossbills.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) — Spring nectar, then summer fruit pulled in by Cedar Waxwings, Catbirds, Wood Thrushes, and robins.
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) — Summer fruit for over 80 bird species. Hosts 450+ caterpillar species in the Northeast.
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) — Red autumn berries for migrating thrushes. Host plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail.
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) — Late-fall yellow flowers when little else is blooming. Seeds for songbirds in winter.
Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) — Summer fruit for Cedar Waxwings, Catbirds, Thrushes, and bluebirds.
Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) — Hosts hundreds of caterpillar species; cavity nests for chickadees and woodpeckers as it matures.
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) — Critical winter cover for Black-capped Chickadees, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and Hermit Thrushes.
New York Aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii) — Late-fall nectar for migrating monarchs and pollinators; seeds for goldfinches and juncos.
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) — A favorite hummingbird flower along streams and wet meadows.
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) — Early-spring nectar for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds returning from migration.

This is a state-wide overview. For a list tailored to your garden:

Enter your New York ZIP and pick the birds you actually want. The planner filters every plant in our database down to the ones native to your part of New York and genuinely useful for your birds.

What's your ZIP code?

We'll show you native plants that are genuinely native to your area and rank them by which birds they support.

US ZIP code

Free. No email. We'll filter every plant in the database to those actually native to your state and suited to your USDA zone.

Better With Birds

Shop the birds you love

If you're already this excited about New York birds, you're going to like the apparel, prints, and stickers we've designed around them.

Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Black-capped Chickadees — all illustrated and designed by Jaymi at Better With Birds. Made-to-order, never mass-printed.