YardBirdHQ

14 species entries · the guide that works backwards

Birds to attract

Pick the bird first. Every entry below reads like a field guide page — foods, feeder types, range, placement, water and nesting notes — and ends with the short list of gear that actually serves that species. No bird here is attracted by wishful thinking; a few are attracted by patience, and we say so.

EastSouthMidwestWestPacific NWSouthwest· coarse ranges, noted per entry

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Entry1
Feed
Black-oil sunflower · Safflower
Range
East, South, Midwest
Easy to attract

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata

Entry2
Feed
Black-oil sunflower · Suet
Range
East, South, Midwest
Easy to attract

American Goldfinch

Spinus tristis

Entry3
Feed
Nyjer (thistle) · Black-oil sunflower
Range
East, West, Midwest, South
Easy to attract

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

Entry4
Feed
Nectar (sugar water)
Range
East, South, Midwest
Moderate

Eastern Bluebird

Sialia sialis

Entry5
Feed
Dried mealworms
Range
East, South, Midwest
Takes patience

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

Entry6
Feed
Suet · Black-oil sunflower
Range
East, West, South, Midwest, Pacific NW
Easy to attract

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Entry7
Feed
Black-oil sunflower · Suet
Range
East, Midwest, West, Pacific NW
Easy to attract

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

Entry8
Feed
Orange halves & grape jelly · Nectar (sugar water)
Range
East, Midwest, South
Moderate

Dark-eyed Junco

Junco hyemalis

Entry9
Feed
White proso millet · Black-oil sunflower
Range
East, West, South, Midwest, Pacific NW, Southwest
Easy to attract

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Entry10
Feed
Black-oil sunflower · Suet
Range
East, West, South, Midwest
Easy to attract

Tufted Titmouse

Baeolophus bicolor

Entry11
Feed
Black-oil sunflower · Suet
Range
East, South, Midwest
Easy to attract

House Finch

Haemorhous mexicanus

Entry12
Feed
Black-oil sunflower · Nyjer (thistle) · Safflower
Range
East, West, South, Midwest, Pacific NW, Southwest
Easy to attract

Carolina Wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus

Entry13
Feed
Suet · Dried mealworms
Range
East, South
Moderate

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

Entry14
Feed
White proso millet · Black-oil sunflower
Range
East, West, South, Midwest, Pacific NW, Southwest
Easy to attract

Species facts on this site are standard field-guide knowledge — feeding preferences, feeder fit, and habitat notes of the kind any good guide prints. Ranges are coarse regions, not range maps. See how we source species entries.