Birds require four things to thrive: food, shelter, nest sites and water.

Establishing a bird feeding station with a variety of food during winter is a common way to help birds; however, you can attract birds year round with carefully considered plantings and landscaping.

If you are renovating existing outdoor areas or creating new gardens or landscaping, the timing is perfect to increase habitat for birds.

To make your yard more bird-friendly, first inventory your current plantings.

Keeping your hardiness zone in mind (Zone 6a for southern Butler County, Zone 5b for northern parts of the county) create a garden plan combining current and proposed plants.

The key is growing a diversity of plants that (1) vary in height and include trees and shrubs, annuals, perennials and ground covers; (2) are a mixture of evergreen and deciduous species; and (3) produce food at different times of year.

Native species are good choices as many provide food and shelter for more than one season.

Trees and shrubs of varying heights increase the area where birds can forage for food, find shelter or nest.

Densely branched trees and shrubs offer a place for nighttime roosting and migration rest, and protect nests from above with overhanging leaves and branches.

Conifers such as eastern white pine and Canadian hemlock have fall-bearing, winter-persisting cones for food and dense branches for nest sites and shelter.

Deciduous trees and shrubs such as dogwoods, mountain ash, and spicebush have insect-attracting flowers in the spring.

These insects are then food for migrating warblers and flycatchers. The deciduous trees and shrubs also offer shelter and nesting sites and produce fruit in late summer and early autumn — an important food source for fall migrants.

Supplemental plantings of annuals and perennials with a variety of bloom times such as columbine, phlox, zinnias, cardinal flower, bee balm, black-eyed susans, sunflowers and goldenrods offer seeds and nectar from spring through fall.

Goldfinches and house finches feed on the seeds of zinnias, coneflowers, black-eyed susans, and sunflowers while ruby-throated hummingbirds feed on nectar of columbine, phlox, cardinal flower and bee balm. In turn hummingbirds are plant pollinators, dispersing pollen when feeding.

A hedgerow or “living fence” using species that supply fruit or berries and dense cover for nesting sites and shelter enhances bird habitat.

Junipers, viburnums, holly, brambles and native roses are good selections. The fruits of these plants provide food for many birds (gray catbirds, northern cardinals and American robins).

Often the fruits persist into winter and can contribute high-energy food for wintering species (yellow-rumped warblers, white-throated sparrows, northern cardinals).

Always walk along your hedges before trimming. If you hear a bird scolding or see an agitated bird, there may be a nest within the hedge; hold off pruning 2-3 weeks.

When you must remove a tree from your yard, consider leaving a portion of the standing trunk.

Remove hazardous limbs and leave the trunk and other branches. Insects feeding on the decaying wood and bark attract birds, especially woodpeckers that excavate cavities.

Cavities can be nesting sites for black-capped chickadees, tufted titmice, and eastern bluebirds.

In the fall, rake leaves under shrubs and hedges. This not only creates natural mulch for your plantings, it also creates foraging areas for ground-feeding birds such as mourning doves and sparrows.

Providing water for birds can be as simple as adding a birdbath to your yard. A birdbath should have a shallow basin (less than 3 inches) with a rough surface.

A small, flat rock can be added to eliminate problems with depth or slippery surfaces.

Place the bird bath in a shady area, protected from wind, with nearby shrubs or low tree branches to allow birds to see and escape predators.

An electric or solar heater can keep the water from freezing during winter.

The staff at the Master Gardeners' telephone hotline, The Greenline, can answer questions about plants that provide bird habitats. Call them at (724) 287-4761, Ext. 229.