Private Lands Wildlife

The Backyard Bird Guide

Your complete bird guide to the species, feeders, baths, houses, and nests of backyard birds — written from a working 30-acre wildlife habitat.

This is our master bird guide — the one page that organizes everything we've written about backyard birds into one place.

Whether you're trying to identify a bird at your feeder, set up the right house or bath, figure out what to feed them, or help a young bird you've found, start here and follow the guide to the topic you need. Every link below leads to a full, detailed guide of its own. We run a 30-acre wildlife habitat, and everything here comes from years of watching these birds up close — not from a stock library.

Backyard Bird Species

Individual guides to the birds you're most likely to see — how to identify them, where they live, and what makes each one worth a second look.

🪶WoodpeckersThe complete guide — including the pileated and the northern flicker. 🧡Baltimore OrioleThe orange flash of early summer. 💛Yellow WarblerA pop of gold in the willows and wetlands. ❤️Scarlet TanagerA flash of tropical red high in the treetops. 🎩Black-capped ChickadeeThe bold little regular that'll feed from your hand. 🩶Tufted TitmouseThe crested gray whistler with big dark eyes. 🖤Crow vs. RavenHow to finally tell the two apart.

Feeding & Water

Bring more birds to your yard — the right food, the right feeders, and clean water they'll actually use.

🌰What Can Birds EatSafe foods, kitchen scraps, and what to avoid. 🪟Window Bird FeederBring birds right up to the glass. 🌺Hummingbird FeederNectar recipe, placement, and upkeep. 💧Bird BathsFresh water birds will return to. 🧽How to Clean a Bird BathKeep it safe and algae-free.

Houses, Boxes & Nests

Give birds a place to raise the next generation — from nest boxes you install to the nests they build themselves.

🏠Bird HousesHole sizes, placement, and plans by species. 📦Owl BoxesBuild and place a box owls will use. 🪺Bird NestsThe 7 types, materials, and how they're built. 🥄Hummingbird NestThe tiny spider-silk cup, explained.

Helping Young & Found Birds

Found a baby bird? Most don't need rescuing. Here's how to tell — and what to do if one truly needs help.

🐣Baby BirdsWhat to do if you find one, and what they eat.

Looking beyond birds? This bird guide is part of our larger collection of wildlife guides covering mammals, reptiles, and the rest of the wildlife that shares our habitat.

Bird Guide — Quick Questions

Start with size, color, beak shape, and behavior, then narrow it down by region and habitat. Chickadees, titmice, and woodpeckers are your reliable feeder regulars, while brighter birds like the scarlet tanager and Baltimore oriole tend to stay higher in the trees. Our individual species guides above walk through the key field marks for each bird — start with the one that looks closest to what you saw.

The big three are food, water, and shelter. Add a feeder, keep a clean bird bath, and put up species-appropriate bird houses. Native plants that host insects do more than any feeder.

Most baby birds found on the ground are healthy fledglings that don't need rescuing. See our baby birds guide for how to tell a fledgling from a nestling and when to call a rehabber.

Build a Yard Birds Love

Free, detailed guides to every backyard bird, feeder, and nest box — from our 30-acre wildlife habitat.

Explore All Wildlife Guides →