by Diane Quinn

Created on: August 07, 2008   Last Updated: June 20, 2009

Waking up in the morning is not quite so bad if you hear the jubilant voice of a goldfinch or the cheerful song of the common robin instead of your alarm clock buzzer. Songbirds are a desirable resident in landscapes not only because of the songs they sing, or because of their beautiful and vibrant colors, but also because they perform an important job. If plentiful and in a variety of species, songbirds can control over 50 percent of the pest insects in an entire home landscape.

A landscape designed for songbirds must consider three important habitat components: Space, water, food and cover. The amount and kinds of each differs by individual species. Songbirds use many different types of habitat including forests, grassland, wetlands, and shrub lands.

Songbirds must rely more and more on suburban yards for food, water and shelter. Open spaces, such as woodlands, meadows and fields continue to decrease due to development. Many common neighborhood birds like the sparrows, starlings and robins have already adjusted to urban and suburban life. Other birds, like songbirds, are not as fortunate. They need more of our help. Provide a welcome stop-over for migrating songbirds by planting trees, shrubs, and flowers that supply their diverse needs.

First you must determine which songbirds are indigenous to your particular area. Understanding the species preferences for your favorite songbirds is an important first step as you begin to plan your landscape.

Space

Research how much space is needed for a variety of songbird species. This will narrow down the different types of songbirds you can hope to attract your property. Bluebirds, for example, are territorial and need a lot more space than purple martins that are not territorial. If you really want bluebirds, you will have to have a property large enough to attract them. Smaller, urban areas are tolerated by cardinals, chipping sparrows and chickadees.

Water

Open access to a water source is important for all birds. If you do not have a stream or pond on your property, you can attract them with another water source. A shallow, stone edged pool will attract them to bathe, drink and control body their temperatures. The dry tops of the rocks will serve as tables for them to preen after bathing.

A simple birdbath may also do the trick, and can be purchased commercially or created by flipping over the lid of a garbage can. It must be a shallow surface, just an inch or two of water is plenty.

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