Quick answer: 55 native plants for birds are native to California, 32 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
55 species
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum · 3 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- California coffeeberry Rhamnus californica · 1 states
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum · 8 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia · 1 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita · 1 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Crevice alumroot Heuchera micrantha · 4 states
- Deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens · 5 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Foothill penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus · 1 states
- Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii · 7 states
- Giant red paintbrush Castilleja miniata · 13 states
- Globe gilia Gilia capitata · 5 states
- Golden currant Ribes aureum · 3 states
- Hummingbird sage Salvia spathacea · 1 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Joshua tree Yucca brevifolia · 3 states
- Nettleleaf giant hyssop Agastache urticifolia · 9 states
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Pacific madrone Arbutus menziesii · 3 states
- Palmer's penstemon Penstemon palmeri · 3 states
- Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa · 16 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Purple needlegrass Stipa pulchra · 1 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red-flowering currant Ribes sanguineum · 4 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Royal penstemon Penstemon speciosus · 6 states
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia · 14 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Sticky monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus · 2 states
- Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia · 1 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Valley oak Quercus lobata · 1 states
- Vine maple Acer circinatum · 3 states
- White sage Salvia apiana · 1 states
Native plants for birds in California: what to know
55 of the 131 plants native to California in this directory fit this need: 42% of the state's list, well below the 52% share across all species.
Between them they flower from January through October, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 43 are also good for pollinators, 35 are also drought-tolerant, 22 are also deer-resistant.
47 of them grow in full or partial sun and 15 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and California fuchsia to trees such as Bearberry and Bigleaf maple. For wildlife, 43 support pollinators, 55 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
32 of the 55 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan: common listings for it are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct