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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.

Obtaining nourishment isn't a simple grab-and-go process among birdlife. In fact, feeding can be downright challenging for many species. To be able to eat, birds have to first search for food and then process what they find in order to make it digestible, tasks that are complicated for even your everyday backyard visitors.

If you're lucky enough to find an oriole nest in your backyard or neighborhood this year, you'll be looking at the culmination of several days' hard work on the part of these vibrant orange and black birds.