Live Bird Friendly

Birds are awesome, right? We encourage you to be a part of the solution for conservation for our feathered friends and live bird friendly! Check out these tips provided by our partners at Wild Birds Unlimited, or get more info on bird-friendly living in past articles we’ve written.

It’s Not Easy Being Feathered

The Rocky Mountains and Great Plains are wonderful for feeding and observing birds – more than 490 of North America’s 900-plus species have been sighted in Colorado alone. Our avian amigos face survival challenges just about every waking hour. To usurp Kermit the Frog’s slogan, “It’s not easy being feathered.” Fortunately, we can assist in birds’ survival and enhance our own enjoyment of backyard birding at the same time. Incorporating the four criteria essential for birds’ survival into our backyard habitats can increase the number of species we see and, in some small way, aid in their survival.

1. Food

Provide high-fat, high-protein foods in feeders. Oil sunflower seed has the broadest appeal of any seed offered by Wild Birds Unlimited. Nearly 80% of seed-eating birds prefer this seed. White proso millet is the second most favored seed. Millet will be kicked to the ground to be eaten and is best fed in a tray feeder near the ground. Juncos, sparrows, towhees, doves and others will feed on millet. Safflower is great for doves, chickadees and finches, but squirrels, grackles and starlings do not care for it, so it is a good problem-solver if these birds and furry filchers are monopolizing your feeders. Birds like flickers, downys, chickadees and nuthatches that eat both seed and insects will feed on peanut kernels and suet, which is rendered beef kidney fat, while jays, magpies and other corvids prefer to pick over peanuts in the shell. Raisins, cranberries and cherries are attractive to robins and other fruit eaters. Orange halves should be offered from May through September for our Bullocks Orioles and Western Tanagers.

2. Cover

Plantings are crucial in determining who visits our yards. Not only do properly selected plants provide food, they also yield much-needed shelter from the elements and cover from predators. Bird Conservancy of the Rockies encourages using native plants whenever possible.

3. Water

Water is second only to food in the number of species it attracts. It is especially important to have an open water source when all else is frozen. Birds will bathe in sub-freezing temperatures. (We think this is where the term bird-brain originated.) Actually, it is essential that they keep their feathers clean and fluffed, which enables them to more efficiently trap insulating air next to their bodies to keep warm. Open water also slakes their thirst while ingesting snow can be dehydrating. A bird bath filled with water on a winter day can stay open for quite some time. There are also thermostatically controlled heated birdbaths and birdbath heaters available at birdfeeding specialty stores. The heater will come on when the water temperature hits 35 degrees and will turn off at about 45 degrees for energy efficiency.

4. A place to nest

The final element birds are looking for is a suitable place to nest. Backyard vegetation can serve this purpose well. With fewer wooden fence posts and our propensity to quickly remove dead trees, it is becoming harder for cavity-dwellers to find nesting sites. Nesting boxes or bird houses fill this niche. In selecting or building a house, we need to research the specific dimensions for the species we want to attract. It is amazing to see the birds out there with their little tape measures making certain the house fits their needs. The floor size, height of the entrance above the hole and the entrance hole size will determine who uses the house. Unfortunately, many birdhouses on the market are terrible for the survival of bird families. When selecting a birdhouse, make certain it has good ventilation and good drainage, is made of non-toxic materials and finishes, and does not have a perch on the front. Predators love perches. Cavity-dwellers don’t need them. The house should be easy to clean out. Removing the old nest will help keep parasites out and help yield healthy feathered families.

Once you’ve supplied a suitable backyard bird habitat, it’s time to grab the binoculars and field guide and drink in the beauty that nature provides. Birds don’t mind our voyeurism. After all of the kindness we have provided, it would be rude for them to regard us as paparazzi.

1. Make Windows Safer, Day and Night

The challenge: Nearly 1 billion birds are estimated to die each year after hitting windows in the United States alone.

The cause: By day, birds perceive reflections in glass as habitat they can fly into. By night, migratory birds drawn in by city lights are at high risk of colliding with buildings.

Simple steps:

Partially close blinds to produce visible horizontal lines
On the outside of the window, install screens or break up reflections—using film, tape, string or products like Acopian BirdSavers, Feather Friendly or BirdSafe.
Place feeders at appropriate locations – at least 30 feet away from windows, or very close (within 3 feet, so they cannot build enough momentum to injure themselves against the glass

Take it further: Work with small businesses or public buildings to offer a contest for creative “window mural” designs that make windows safer for birds. Advocate for bird-friendly building designs.

Get started today:

Quick, affordable ways to keep birds from hitting windows
Building or renovating a new office building? Check out the Bird-Friendly Building Design Manual
Start a Lights Out Campaign in your community

2. Keep Cats Indoors

The challenge: Cats are estimated to kill more than 2.4 billion birds annually in the U.S. This is the #1 human-caused reason for the loss of birds, aside from habitat loss.

The cause: Cats can make great pets, but more than 100 million feral and pet cats now roam outdoors in the United States. These nonnative predators instinctively hunt and kill birds even when well fed.

Solutions that are good for cats and birds: Save birds and keep cats healthy by keeping cats indoors or creating an outdoor “catio.” You can also train your cat to walk on a leash.

Take it further: Speak out about the impacts of feral cat colonies in your neighborhood and on public lands. Feral cats’ lives may be as short as two years because of disease and hardship, and they are responsible for 69% of birds killed by cats in the United States.

Get started today:

3. Reduce Lawn, Plant Natives

Birds have fewer places to safely rest during migration and to raise their young: More than 10 million acres of land in the United States were converted to developed land from 1982 to 1997.

The cause: Lawns and pavement don’t offer enough food or shelter for many birds and other wildlife. With more than 63 million acres of lawn in the United States alone, there’s huge potential to support wildlife by replacing lawns with native plantings.

Take it further: Add native plants and watch birds come in. Native plants add interest and beauty to your yard and neighborhood and provide shelter and nesting areas for birds. The nectar, seeds, berries and insects will sustain birds and diverse wildlife.

Get started today:

Find out which native plants are best for your area
Live in Colorado’s Front Range? Check out the Guide to Backyard Birds of the Front Range!
Certify your backyard as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat or become a Habitat Hero

4. Avoid Pesticides

The challenge: More than 1 billion pounds of pesticides are applied in the United States each year. The nation’s most widely used insecticides, called neonicotinoids or “neonics,” are lethal to birds and to the insects that birds consume. Common weed killers used around homes, such as 2, 4-D and glyphosate (used in Roundup), can be toxic to wildlife, and glyphosate has been declared a probable human carcinogen.

The cause: Pesticides that are toxic to birds can harm them directly through contact, or if they eat contaminated seeds or prey. Pesticides can also harm birds indirectly by reducing the number of insects that birds need to survive.

A healthy choice for you, your family and birds: Consider purchasing organic food. Nearly 70% of produce sold in the United States contains pesticides. Reduce pesticides around your home.

Take it further: Avoid using neonicotinoids around your home, garden and in your community. Make your voice heard with elected officials and share your opinions about legislation to regulate the use of neonics.

Get started today:

Check out the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Take the Pollinator Pledge to protect birds and bees from harmful pesticides

5. Drink Bird-Friendly Coffee

The challenge: Three-quarters of the world’s coffee farms grow their plants in the sun, destroying forests that birds and other wildlife need for food and shelter. Sun-grown coffee also often requires using environmentally harmful pesticides and fertilizers. On the other hand, farms that grow coffee in the shade of native trees preserve a forest canopy that helps migratory birds survive the winter.

The cause: Too few consumers are aware of the problems of sun coffee. Those who are aware may be reluctant to pay more for environmentally sustainable coffee.

Insist on Bird-Friendly Coffee: Bird-Friendly Coffee is a certification from the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center that also includes organic and fair trade standards. Buying Bird-Friendly coffee is a win-win-win: it’s delicious, economically beneficial to coffee farmers, and helps more than 42 species of North American migratory songbirds that winter in coffee plantations, including orioles, warblers, and thrushes. It’s important to note that Bird-Friendly is a specific certification, while “shade-grown” is not. “Shade-grown” coffee can range from fully sustainable and organic to nearly indistinguishable from sun-grown coffee. Find more information from All About Birds.

Take it further: Educate your local coffee shops and grocery stores about how Bird-Friendly coffee helps birds and the environment.

Get started today:

Look for the Smithsonian-certified Bird-Friendly coffee seal of approval
Set up a coffee subscription with Birds & Beans (they have great tasting coffee!)
Read this article about why we and other organizations support Bird-Friendly Coffee

6. Protect Our Planet from Plastics

The challenge: It’s estimated that 4,900 million metric tons of plastic have accumulated in landfills and in our environment worldwide, polluting our oceans and harming wildlife such as seabirds, whales and turtles that mistakenly eat plastic, or become entangled in it.

The cause: Plastic takes more than 400 years to degrade, and 91% of plastics created are not recycled. Studies show that at least 80 seabird species ingest plastic, mistaking it for food. Cigarette lighters, toothbrushes and other trash have been found in the stomachs of dead albatrosses.

Reduce your use of plastics: Avoid single-use plastics including bags, bottles, wraps and disposable utensils. It’s far better to choose reusable items, but if you do have disposable plastic, be sure to recycle it.

Take it further: Lead by example and reduce your use of plastic bags, styrofoam, straws and single-use plastics. Encourage stores to offer incentives for reusable bags, and ask restaurants and other businesses to phase out single-use plastics.

Get started today:

Eight easy ways to reduce your plastic waste

7. Watch Birds, Share What You See

The challenge: The world’s most abundant bird, the Passenger Pigeon, went extinct, and people didn’t realize how quickly it was vanishing until it was too late. Monitoring birds is essential to help protect them, but tracking the health of the world’s 10,000 bird species is an immense challenge.

The cause: To understand how birds are faring, scientists need hundreds of thousands of people to report what they’re seeing in backyards, neighborhoods and wild places around the world. Without this information, scientists will not have enough timely data to show where and when birds are declining around the world.

Enjoy birds while helping science and conservation: Join a project such as eBird, iNaturalist, Project FeederWatch, a Christmas Bird Count or a Breeding Bird Survey to record your bird observations. Your contributions provide valuable information to show where birds are thriving—and where they need our help.

Take it further: Mobilize others in your community by organizing school groups or leading bird walks and submitting your counts to eBird.org. Support organizations that coordinate bird-monitoring projects in your area.

Get started today:

Find a Community Science initiative with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies that matches your interests

Cats present one of the biggest dangers to wild birds

Free-ranging felines kill between 2.5 and 4 billion birds every year in the United States. Except for habitat loss, cat predation is the greatest source of mortality for birds. Many bird species nest and feed on the ground, not in the trees, making them even more vulnerable. The bacteria in cat saliva are toxic to birds, so even if a cat does not immediately kill a bird, its bite often leads to infection and death. Cats are natural and effective predators and will hunt for practice and “fun”⁠—even when not hungry.

How you can help

Bird Conservancy of the Rockies promotes keeping cats indoors at all times. This is the safest option for your pet, birds and people. The average life expectancy of a free-roaming cat is just 2 to 5 years, compared to 14 years for a cat who lives indoors. Unhealthy cats also pose direct health risks to people, such as the transmission of parasites and diseases like rabies and toxoplasmosis.

If you must let your cat outside and can’t keep an eye on it yourself, take the following precautions to minimize danger:

Shorten the amount of time spent outside. This reduces the amount of time your cat has to “play” with wildlife. Birds are most active at dusk and dawn, making them the most critical times to keep your cat inside.
Trim your cat’s claws to make it harder to climb trees.
Don’t feed stray cats. This encourages them to stay in your yard.
Spay or neuter your cat. While this will not affect its hunting behavior, it will keep your cat from adding to cat populations.
Keep your cat entertained with a windowed view of the outdoors where they can see the birds but not catch them. A secured screen porch works well, or consider a catio or similar enclosure.
Go shopping! You can find a number of different products, such as colorful cat collars, cat bibs and pens to keep cats contained, that claim to lessen the ability of your cat to catch wildlife.
Spread the word to friends, family and neighbors about why keeping all cats indoors is the right thing to do.

Managing feral cats

Feral (“wild”) cats present special challenges as they often cannot be tamed and rehabilitated for indoor life. There are an estimated 60 million feral cats in the U.S. Each year, hundreds of thousands of cats are euthanized by humane societies and animal shelters because there are not enough homes for them, regardless of demeanor. Catch-and-release programs, where feral cats are spayed/neutered and then set free again, are intended as a humane way to control cat populations. While compassionate and with the best intentions, the approach is flawed and fails to reduce cat numbers. This is especially the case with “managed” colonies where people regularly provide food. Research shows these colonies often increase in size, as more cats are attracted to the food (and other felines) and unsterilized animals continue to breed. Meanwhile, the cats are free to continue hunting local wildlife for many years.

Additional information

American Bird Conservancy’s Cats Indoors Campaign offers resources for individuals and community groups. Click the logo below for more information.