Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Alabama · Zones 7–9
Native Plants for Birds in Alabama
Seed, berry, and cover plants that feed songbirds year-round — and the caterpillars that nesting birds actually raise their chicks on. Alabama sits in a landscape of Gulf Coastal Plain & Cumberland Plateau, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its hot, humid subtropical character. The list below — led by Purple Coneflower and Cup Plant — is filtered to species genuinely native to Alabama and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 7–9. Feeders are a snack; native plants are the real grocery store. Berries and seed heads carry birds through fall and winter, while the caterpillars these natives host are what nearly all songbirds feed their young in spring. Leave the seed heads standing, hold off on fall cleanup, and let a layer of leaves and shrubs give birds the cover they need.
The plants
27 native species for Alabama
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 7–9 · see this collection in other states.
Cup Plant
Silphium perfoliatum
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, yellow flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–8 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; white, red berries flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, happy in loam soil.
- Part shade
- Average
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Buttonbush
Cephalanthus occidentalis
A winter seed source birds return to, spreading 4–8 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatum
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — good through zone 8.
- Sun to shade
- Average–wet
- 6–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; spreading 1.5–2 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Pink Muhly Grass
Muhlenbergia capillaris
A winter seed source birds return to, spreading 2–3 ft.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — good through zone 9.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Its seed heads carry songbirds through the lean months; hardy in zones 6–10.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 4–7 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 15–25 ft
- Blooms Apr–May
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
A winter seed source birds return to, bright gold flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Stiff Goldenrod
Solidago rigida
Its seed heads carry birds through the lean months; cold-hardy to zone 3.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Aug–Oct
Blue Vervain
Verbena hastata
A winter seed source birds return to, happy in clay and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
A winter seed source birds return to, reaching 4–8 ft.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 4–8 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Feeds birds two ways: winter seed and the caterpillars that raise their young.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Virginia Creeper
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Seed for songbirds and caterpillars for their nestlings — happy in clay, rocky, and loam soil.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 30–50 ft
- Blooms Jun
Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
A winter seed source birds return to, white to pink flowers.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 5–10 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
American Elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
Leave its seed heads standing — songbirds strip them through fall and winter, hardy in zones 3–9.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 6–12 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Pennsylvania Sedge
Carex pensylvanica
Seed for birds and caterpillars for their nestlings — 6–12 in tall.
- Part shade
- Dry–average
- 6–12 in
- Foliage
Cinnamon Fern
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Leave its seed heads standing — birds strip them through fall and winter, good through zone 9.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Foliage
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Bird food twice over — seed heads songbirds strip in fall, plus the caterpillars nesting birds feed their chicks.
- Full–part sun
- Dry to wet
- 3–6 ft
- Fall color
3 more also qualify: Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Alabama
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.