Birds eat ripe berries in mid-to-late summer; major fruit resource.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center notes the dark drupes are relished by many bird species; Missouri Botanical Garden lists the showy fruit as attracting birds. Late-summer elderberry fruit is a heavily used songbird food.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents that berries attract many bird and small-mammal species, and that the tree also provides cover and nesting sites; persistent winter fruit feeds songbirds when other food is scarce.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the fruit attracting a variety of birds; a range of eastern songbirds feed on the sweet ripe fruit alongside foxes, opossums, raccoons, skunks, and deer.

The red plums are consumed by many kinds of birds, and the suckering, thicket-forming habit provides valuable nesting cover (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center; Missouri Botanical Garden lists the species as attracting birds).

Multiple thrush, mockingbird, oriole, and waxwing species feed on ripe raspberries — gardeners often net plantings to compete for the harvest.

Fallen and unharvested apples are eaten by songbirds and other wildlife through fall and winter; the fruit is a common late-season food source in and around orchards.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists Prunus armeniaca as attracting birds; the ripe summer drupes are taken by songbirds.

Late-ripening fruit that holds on bare branches into winter is available to generalist fruit-eating songbirds and to dropped-fruit foragers; the Missouri Botanical Garden documents the fruit persistence but does not enumerate wildlife species.

NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox notes that bay laurel trees attract birds (songbirds); the single-seeded purple-black berries borne on pollinated female plants are the likely draw. Bay laurel is a non-native Mediterranean plant, so this is a generic ornamental bird-attraction note rather than a documented North American native-wildlife association.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center records that birds and other wildlife eat the fruit; the late-summer plums are a coastal food source for songbirds.

Berries persist through winter providing late-cold-season forage.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the fruit as consumed by 33 species of birds and many mammals — one of the highest fruit-value native trees of the eastern forest.

NC State documents broader songbird consumption (robins, etc.). Black chokeberry berries hold on the plant longer than serviceberry and dogwood drupes — extending the fall food supply into late autumn.

Dark-blue drupes are a fall-migration energy source for thrushes, robins, mockingbirds, and other migrants.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents that birds (along with bears, deer, elk, and moose) feed on the drupes, and both LBJ and Missouri Botanical Garden flag the showy fruit as attractive to birds. (Plotwright has no western-songbird-specific wildlife entity yet; mapped to the generic songbird forager.)

Robins, catbirds, thrushes, and many other songbirds compete with cedar waxwings (and humans) for the early-summer fruit crop.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center records the blue-black cherries as important wildlife food in July and August for numerous bird species; Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists the plant as attracting birds.

A range of fruit-eating songbirds feed on ripe figs; Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder notes the fruit becomes a mess if not promptly harvested, reflecting how freely it is eaten and dropped.

Listed by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center among the best food and shelter plants for wildlife; numerous songbirds and game birds feed on the fall-and-winter drupes.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents that birds consume the berries in large quantities; "Attracts: Birds." (Plotwright's generic-songbird wildlife slug is the closest existing match; common manzanita is a Western species, so the entity name reads "eastern" but the documented fruit-foraging relationship holds.)

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the fruits as a staple for many birds and small mammals, with the dense evergreen canopy also providing nesting material and winter cover.

NC State documents drupe consumption by ruffed grouse, quail, wild turkey, and small mammals (chipmunks, black bear, foxes, squirrels). The mast-style fall drupe crop is a major eastern-forest food event.

Catbirds, robins, mockingbirds, thrushes, woodpeckers all eat fruit in late summer + fall.

NC State: "Birds are immune to the capsaicin in peppers and can safely eat the fruits with no ill effects. Therefore, these plants may attract birds." Birds disperse Capsicum seeds in the wild range — capsaicin evolved as a mammal-deterrent + bird-selectable seed dispersal signal.

NC State Extension notes that allowing some fruits (hips) to form benefits wildlife, as many birds and small mammals feed on rose hips through fall and winter.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists the showy black fruit as attracting birds, which feed on the edible currants in mid to late summer.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center wildlife use lists Fruit-birds, Cover, and Nesting site — the dense crown and persistent winter fruit support a range of eastern songbirds.

Cardinals, catbirds, robins, and many other songbirds eat blueberries enthusiastically; netting is required for production gardens.

Box turtles + small mammals + birds disperse the ripe fruit.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center notes the fleshy maypop fruits are eaten by fruit-eating birds.

NC State: acorns eaten by woodpeckers, blue jays, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and black bear. The 2-year acorn cycle drives synchronous mast years that ripple through eastern forest food webs.

NC State notes "Birds eat the fruit"; the high-lipid red drupes are a fall-migration energy source for thrushes, robins, and other migrating songbirds.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents that the showy bright red-to-orange fruits attract water, ground, and songbirds (as well as squirrels and deer). Note: this "eastern-songbirds-generic" slug is used here as the closest existing generic-songbird fit; Pacific dogwood is a western species, so the relationship is about fruit-foraging birds generally, not eastern songbirds specifically.

NC State documents pawpaw fruit consumption by songbirds, wild turkeys, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, foxes, and bears. The large mast-style fruit drop in late summer / early fall is a significant food event in the bottomland-forest food web.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists the tree as attracting birds, which feed on the ripe and fallen fruit.

Missouri Botanical Garden lists Morus rubra as attracting birds, and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the fruit as forage for birds (and mammals). The heavy late-spring fruit crop is a significant food source for songbirds.

NC State explicitly names eastern bluebirds, red-eyed vireos, quail, and wild turkeys among the songbirds consuming the blue drupes. The drupes ripen in late summer to feed migrating songbirds at a critical pre-migration nutrition point.

Long-lasting winter-persistent fruit is a cold-season food source for fruit-eating songbirds; the dense thorny, suckering habit also offers protective nesting and shelter cover.

Squirrels + chipmunks + woodpeckers + wild turkey all feed heavily on hickory nuts.

Acorns + nesting cavities + Spanish-moss-draped limbs all contribute to outsized songbird habitat value.

Missouri Botanical Garden notes that birds love the fruit and are in part responsible for the tree naturalizing from gardens into the wild across eastern and midwestern North America; the fruit is listed as Showy and the tree Attracts: Birds.

NC State Extension and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center document the sour pomes feeding birds, while thorny crabapple thickets provide nesting sites and shelter for large and small birds.

A broad late-season fruit source — the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center records "Birds eat berries"; the slug is the catalog generic for the wider songbird guild (mockingbirds, robins, and other frugivores) that strip the winter berries.

NC State: "The acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, blue jays, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and black bear." Mast years (heavy acorn production every 4-10 years) drive eastern forest population cycles for many species.

Robins, catbirds, mockingbirds, thrushes eat ripe berries readily.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists Vitis vinifera as attracting birds, which feed heavily on the ripe berry clusters — so much so that birds are described as the most damaging vertebrate pest to grape yields, and netting is commonly used to protect the crop.

Robins, mockingbirds, and other passerines feed on winterberry through winter when other food is scarce.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder lists the tree as attracting birds, with the small black cherries (showy fruit) eaten by songbirds.

Missouri Botanical Garden lists the tree as attracting birds; the pea-sized nutlets and seed are eaten by songbirds, though the source does not enumerate species.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the nuts as eaten by birds and squirrels and lists the shrub as attracting birds; the dense suckering thickets also provide cover and nesting habitat for songbirds.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the seed-bearing pods as having food value to songbirds and small mammals, and lists the tree as attracting birds.

Goldfinches + other finches feed heavily on the seeds inside the spiky pods through winter.

Finches feed on seeds released from the breaking-up spherical seed balls through winter.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents wildlife value as cover, nesting sites, foraging substrate for insectivorous birds, and seed for granivorous birds and small mammals; Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder notes it attracts birds.

Provides cover for at least 24 songbird species and nesting sites or seed for Grasshopper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Sedge Wren, and Western Meadowlark (Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center).

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents black willow as an early-season harvest for songbirds, waterfowl, and small mammals; the bark, tender twigs, and buds are also browsed by deer, rabbits, and beaver.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents blue grama seed as forage for granivorous birds; Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder also flags the plant as attracting birds.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center records bur oak as attracting songbirds and ground birds; its large acorns are an important fall and winter mast food for fruit- and nut-eating birds.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents coast live oak attracting Oak Titmouse, Western Scrub Jay, Steller's Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and about 30 other bird species, which feed on the acorns and shelter in the dense evergreen canopy. (The Plotwright wildlife catalog's generic songbird entry is the closest existing match for this western oak-woodland bird assemblage.)

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and NC State Extension both list Viola sororia as attracting birds/songbirds, which forage on its abundant seed.

NC State notes "fruit is eaten by small mammals and birds" and "wild turkeys eat the seeds." The explosive seed-ejection mechanism distributes seed widely.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the seeds as forage for granivorous birds and the tree as a source of nesting material and browse; LBJ flags it as attracting birds.

NC State notes "Songbirds and small mammals occasionally eat the seeds" from the persistent bean-like pods that remain on winter branches.

Pine seeds feed crossbills + nuthatches + pine siskins + chickadees + squirrels.

NC State Extension lists groundnut as attracting songbirds and small mammals, which feed on the seeds and roots; the LBJ Wildflower Center likewise records its value to wildlife.

NC State: "Seeds are eaten by songbirds and small mammals." Standing winter seedheads provide cold-season forage when other native seed sources are exhausted.

Catkin seeds + winter buds feed redpolls + finches + grouse.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents the fruit as food for birds and mammals, and the tree as a foraging substrate for insectivorous birds. The fall-ripening nuts are a high-value mast crop for woodpeckers, jays, and other seed-eating birds (as well as squirrels).

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center records pussy willow as an early-season harvest for songbirds, waterfowl, and small mammals.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center notes aspens host a wide array of birds, mammals, and butterflies, with the seeds taken by granivorous birds and the foliage browsed by mammals.

NC State: "Seeds are enjoyed by birds." Samaras (winged seeds) are eaten by goldfinches, grosbeaks, and other seed-eaters; gray squirrels rely on red maple buds and seeds as a primary late-winter / early-spring food source.

Catkin seeds feed redpolls + finches + chickadees through winter.

NC State: "Its seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals." The bright red seeds dangle from the splitting cone-like fruit in late summer / early fall, providing fall-migration nutrition for songbirds.

Samaras feed birds and small mammals; cavities in mature trees host nesting birds. Deer and moose browse foliage in northern forests; porcupines feed on the bark.

NC State: "Fruits are eaten by birds and small mammals." Dried seed capsules persist into winter providing cold-season seed forage for finches + other granivorous songbirds.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents that the seed heads attract birds and the plant provides cover for wildlife; Missouri Botanical Garden lists it as attracting birds.

NC State notes "Seed heads provide food for the birds" — finches and sparrows work the standing winter seed heads.

Bright-red seeds dangle from splitting cone-like fruits in late summer / early fall, providing fall-migration nutrition for songbirds.

Seedheads feed sparrows, juncos, and other ground-foraging songbirds through fall and winter.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center notes birds and small mammals eat the seeds (which are toxic in quantity to mammals but foraged by wildlife).

The NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox notes that birds enjoy the seeds, particularly bobwhites.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center documents American arborvitae as providing food and cover for birds; its dense, ground-to-crown evergreen foliage is valued as nesting habitat and winter shelter, and the small seed cones provide seed.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists black walnut as attracting birds; the large canopy provides cover and nesting structure for songbirds (the hard-shelled nuts themselves are eaten mainly by squirrels and other strong-jawed mammals rather than songbirds).

NC State Extension reports that Camellia japonica attracts songbirds and provides cover for wintering birds — its dense evergreen canopy gives shelter in the cold season when deciduous plants are bare.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder notes the shrub provides shelter and nesting sites for birds and wildlife; its dense evergreen thickets offer year-round cover.

Evergreen fronds provide ground-level cover for songbirds through winter — the canonical winter-shelter native ground cover in eastern hardwood-forest understory.

Dense multi-stem habit provides songbird nesting cover.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center lists wildlife uses of cover and nesting sites; the open thorny canopy of wild trees provides nesting and shelter structure for birds.

Dense fronds provide ground-cover shelter for small birds + amphibians.