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Planting conifers in your yard helps provide shelter, food, nesting sites, and nest-building materials to a diversity of species that rely on these trees for survival. If you're curious about how different conifers benefit birds or are wondering about cone identification in general, we've rounded up a selection of common cones for your consideration.

A lot of bird watchers and non-bird watchers alike have spent time peering into a thicket, trying to persuade the poor lost kitten pitifully mewing in the brush to come out. Even those who are familiar with the catbird have been fooled at times. The soft mew of the gray catbird is so realistic that sometimes the brain just won't accept that it is not a cat.

Here's a neat tip: Keep your seeds—and the birds visiting them—dry during showers by installing a rain guard above them.

Throughout North America, August usually brings the driest weather of the year. Natural water sources for drinking and bathing can be few and far between, so by providing a birdbath or other water feature, you'll help the birds get through the dog days, and you will likely be rewarded by attracting species that don't visit your feeding station.

Native vines check off multiple boxes of what birds need: nourishment, cover, housing, and mobility. Their fruits and seeds make them great food resources, their knotty networks provide shelter from the elements and protection for active nests, and small birds like warblers, chickadees, and kinglets are known to use vine systems to safely move from the tops of trees to understory shrubbery, then down to ground level. The following list explores some native vine options to consider growing in your own backyard for maximum birdy benefits.

We've all known the joy of watching birds frequent our backyard feeders. When a flock of rock pigeons moves into the neighborhood, however, you might have a problem on your hands. These birds, the feral progeny of domesticated rock doves, have a reputation for creating large amounts of acidic, property-damaging waste, and for carrying disease.

A flock of European starlings can make short work of your birdseed and suet. To encourage them to dine elsewhere, adapt your buffet and your serving utensils. Starlings' favorite foods are peanuts, mixed seed, bread products, table scraps, and suet. Foods they don't care for include peanuts in the shell and gray striped sunflower seeds—their bill isn't designed to crack open hard hulls.