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Feeder Birds to Spot in Your Backyard

Imagine itā€™s a peaceful Sunday morning. You have a hot cup of coffee or tea, and youā€™re looking out your window at your bird feeder. Youā€™re delighted by all the feeder birds youā€™ve attracted with your generous bird seed. 

A bird feeder attracting a variety of feeder birds including a Purple Finch and Goldfinches.
Image by Joe JLH243 via Flickr.

You wonder, ā€œWho are these birds? What are their names?ā€ 

If youā€™ve asked yourself those questions about your backyard feeder birds, youā€™ve come to the right place. Discover below some of the most common feeder birds in the United States. Chances are, some birds on this list are frequent visitors, while others are surprising guests just dropping in. 

Common Feeder Birds: Overview

Because there are hundreds of backyard birds across North America, this guide only covers the most common birds youā€™re likely to see. As such, itā€™s best to get a local field guide so you can identify what birds are in your area. 

This guide covers birds from various regions, nonetheless, there are likely common birds in your area that donā€™t make the list. Think of it as a starting point for identifying the most common species you might attract. 

Common Feeder Birds: Cardinals and Grosbeaks 

A Grosbeak perched on a bird feeder.
Image by Eva Orleans viaĀ Flickr.

The Northern Cardinal 

The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is one of the easiest feeder birds to identify. The male is bright red with a prominent crest and black around its beak. The female is less colorful with a yellow-tan breast, grey back and crest, and distinct orange bill. 

Northern cardinals are common backyard birds across the Central and Eastern United States. While they arenā€™t found in the west; interestingly, they are locally abundant in parts of the Southwest, including southern Arizona and New Mexico. 

Attract Northern Cardinals to your feeder year-round with songbird seed mix, sunflower and safflower seeds, cracked corn, peanut hearts, or millet. 

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak 

During migration and summer breeding, you may be lucky to have a Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) visit your feeder. These beautiful feeder birds migrate through the eastern United States to breed in the north. They happily stop by backyard feeders to enjoy seeds, peanuts, and suet. 

The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak has a distinct black head, bright red chest, and white belly. The female resembles a large sparrow with a striped white belly, tan feathers, and a noticeable white eye stripe. She has the characteristic large, conical beak. 

Black-headed Grosbeak 

The Black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) will delight you with its musical songs on a nearby treetop after itā€™s taken its fill of your seeds. These feeder birds are common summer residents throughout the Western United States. 

The Black-headed grosbeak is easy to identify. The males have a bright yellow-orange collar, belly, rump, and black head. The wings are black with white spots. The female is less distinct, with tan sparrow-like markings. She has a bright yellow eye stripe and a large, finch-like beak. 

Common Feeder Birds: Chickadees and Titmice

Chickadees 

A Black-capped Chickadee on a seed feeder.
Image by Gshappell viaĀ Flickr.

Across Central and Northern United States and most of Canada, youā€™ll find the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus). These exuberant little birds are distinguished by their black cap and bill. They have a tan blush on their belly near their wings, a grey back, and black wings. 

On the West Coast, from Alaska down to California, the Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens) is a year-long resident. These chickadees have a distinct chestnut-colored back and sides that set them apart from the black-capped chickadees. 

The Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) is identical to the Black-capped Chickadee, with only a few subtle differences that are hard to detect. The best way to distinguish the two is range: Carolina Chickadees are permanent residents throughout the Southeast, from Oklahoma over to Virginia. 

All of these chickadees are common feeder birds. They will readily visit a well-stocked feeder with sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts.

Titmice 

A Tufted Titmouse with a seed in beak, perched on a seed feeder.
Image by Laura Helf via Flickr.

The Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is the most widespread feeder bird among titmice species. This little bird is a year-long resident across most of the Central and Eastern United States. It has a grey back and noticeable grey crest, a white belly, and a tan blush underneath its wings.

Although less common than the Tufted Titmouse, the Oak and Juniper Titmouse will readily come to feeders in their region. These two feeder birds are nearly identical and are distinguished by range rather than appearance. 

The Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus) lives in oak woodlands across California. The Juniper Titmouse (Baeolophus ridgwayi) lives in the four corner states and the Great Basin region. Both are plain grey; darker above and paler below with a slight head crest.

No matter the titmouse in your area, attract these happy feeder birds to your backyard with suet, sunflower and nyjer seeds, peanuts, or mealworms. 

Common Feeder Birds: Jays 

A Blue Jay eating from a suet feeder.
Image by Richard Vaillancourt viaĀ Flickr.

East of the Rocky Mountains, the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) stands out with its raucous calls and stunning blue feathers. It is a year-long resident who happily visits bird feeders across the Central and Eastern United States. 

In the west, common feeder birds in the jay or Corvidae family include the Stellerā€™s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) and California Scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica). The Stellerā€™s Jay has an impressive black crest with a black hood and dark blue and black feathers. 

The California Scrub-jay is a well-known resident of the Pacific Coast. It has a bright blue head (no head crest), blue wings, and a grey-white throat and belly.

Attract the local jay of your region to your feeder by supplying sunflower seed, suet, cracked corn, peanuts, millet, or mealworms. 

Common Feeder Birds: Woodpeckers 

A Pileated Woodpecker on a suet feeder.
Image by Richard Orr via Flickr.

You could attract several woodpeckers to your feeder, including downy and hairy woodpeckers, the red-bellied woodpecker, the northern flicker, and the pileated woodpecker. Almost all of these woodpeckers share a similar range and are year-long residents across most of the United States. Attract them to your feeder by providing suet or shelled sunflower seeds. 

Downy and Hairy Woodpecker 

The Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) is the smallest of this bunch. It has a black and white striped head and back with a white belly. The male has a red spot on its nape while the female does not. 

The Hairy Woodpecker (Dryobates villosus) is similar to the Downy but is much larger with a longer bill. Like the Downy, the male Hairy Woodpecker also has a red nape mark. 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Unlike the other woodpeckers in this section, the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) is not found across the United States. Rather, this woodpecker is a common resident of the Central and Eastern United States. 

Its prominent red stripe on its white head makes it easy to identify. It also has a black and white streaked back and a white chest with a subtle pinkish-red underbelly. 

Northern Flicker 

The Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratusis) is a joyous bird to encounter with its crescent moon chest, spotted belly, and striped back. Northern and Eastern North America has yellow-shafted flickers, which have a black cheek mark and yellow markings under their tail and wings. 

The west has the red-shafted flicker with a red cheek mark and red underwing markings. The yellow-shafted and red-shafted flickers are considered the same species. 

Pileated Woodpecker 

Thereā€™s no mistaking when the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) arrives at your feeder. These are the largest woodpeckers in North America, and likely the largest feeder birds to hang from your feeders. 

They are mostly black with a striking red head crest and white striped face. The male has a red cheek mark while the female does not. 

The Pileated Woodpecker is a year-long resident throughout the Central and Eastern United States. It avoids the plains and mountain regions of the western interior. However, they are in the Pacific Northwest and parts of northern Idaho. 

Common Feeder Birds: Hummingbirds 

A busy Hummingbird feeder.
Image by Paul Lawston viaĀ Flickr.

If you set out a hummingbird feeder, youā€™ll likely attract one or more of the following hummingbirds, depending on your region. Because there are several hummingbird species in the western United States, I encourage you to pick up a field guide to identify your local species. The following section includes just a few of the most common North American hummingbirds. 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird 

East of the rocky mountains, only one hummingbird species visits flower gardens and feeders in summer – the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). All other North American hummingbirds migrate to the west from their tropical winter grounds. 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird males, as the name suggests, have a bright red spot on their throat. The female has a white-grey throat. Both sexes have grey-green back and wing feathers and a white belly. 

Black-chinned and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds

The Black-chinned (Archilochus alexandri) and Broad-tailed (Selasphorus platycercus) Hummingbirds are summer residents of the interior western United States, including the Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Great Basin regions. 

The Black-chinned Hummingbird male has a striking black throat, subtle purple collar, and white belly. The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is similar to the Ruby-throated but with more rust-colorings underneath the wings and tail.

Rufous and Calliope Hummingbirds

The northwestern United States is the summer home to Rufous and Calliope Hummingbirds. The Rufous (Selasphorus rufus) is one of the most aggressive North American hummingbirds. It has a bright copper-colored belly and underwings, a dark red throat patch (male), and a white chest. 

Calliope Hummingbirds (Selasphorus calliope) are the smallest feeder birds in North America. The male has a bright magenta-streaked throat, white belly, and greenish-grey head. 

Annaā€™s Hummingbird 

Along the Pacific Coast, youā€™ll find the year-long resident Annaā€™s Hummingbird (Calypte anna). These little feeder birds have green-grey back feathers and white-grey bellies. The male has a shimmering red throat that can appear black or gold depending on how the light hits it. 

Common Feeder Birds: Nuthatches 

A White-breasted Nuthatch on a bird feeder.
Image by Bonnie Ott via Flickr.

The two most common nuthatches youā€™ll likely attract to your feeder are the White-breasted and Red-breasted nuthatches. They enjoy sunflower seeds or suet and may cache their bounty in a nearby tree bark crevice. 

The White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is a year-long resident of most of the United States. It has a characteristic head-first downward movement on trees. As the name suggests, it has a stark white breast and belly, a black head stripe, a grey back, and black and white striped wings. 

The Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) is a permanent resident throughout Canada and parts of the western United States, including the Rocky and Cascade Mountain ranges. It has a noticeable red breast and a black eyestripe. It is smaller than the white-breasted nuthatch.  

Common Feeder Birds: Finches 

A pair of Goldfinches feeding.
Image by Lad Strayer via Flickr.

There are several finches in North America, however, not all are common feeder birds. As such, below you will find finches likely to visit your feeder. If a finch is visiting your feeder thatā€™s not on this list, check out our related Finches in North America identification guide

House Finch

House finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) are easy to attract to a bird feeder and can arrive in flocks of up to 50 or more birds! Their range extends across most of the United States (including Hawaii) and Mexico. 

The male House Finch has a distinct, rosy-hued head, breast, and back. The rest of his body is pale brown with sparrow-like streaks. The female House Finch is brown-grey with sparrow-like streaks. They have characteristic conical beaks. 

American goldfinch

Widespread and abundant, the American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is found across the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. They will readily come to bird feeders stocked with shelled sunflower seeds.

In the breeding season, the male is bright yellow with a black forehead and black, white-striped wings. The female isnā€™t as bright and lacks the glossy black forehead patch. In winter, male and female American Goldfinches are dull yellow or brown.  

Lesser Goldfinch

Lesser goldfinches (Spinus psaltria) are the smallest finch in North America. They are year-round residents of the West Coast from Oregon to California. They can travel inland as far as Colorado and Arizona for breeding. 

Lesser Goldfinches look similar to American Goldfinches. The key difference is that male Lesser Goldfinches have more black on their head and back than male American Goldfinches. Attract these beautiful little feeder birds to your backyard by providing shelled seeds and suet. 

Attracting Feeder Birds to Your Backyard 

The best way to attract feeder birds to your backyard is to keep a well-stocked feeder. There should be shrubs or trees within a few yards of the feeders. This helps the birds feel safe and provides them a nearby place to munch on their seeds. 

While many feeder birds were covered in this list, there are several more to discover. Not only are you likely to attract several different sparrows and blackbirds, but also birds who prefer to eat the fallen seed off the ground. Dark-eyed juncos, wild turkeys, and collard doves will happily peck around beneath the feeder. 

Do you have a common feeder bird you love that didnā€™t make this list? Feel free to share your frequent feeder birds in the comments below. 

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