Do you want to create a bird-friendly yard or improve your existing one? The key to choosing plants that attract birds is to go native. Native plants are beautiful, are adapted to your region, and don't require fertilizers or pesticides.
To attract birds, it is important to plant trees and shrubs that not only provide seeds and berries, but also provide perch, cover, and nest areas. Birds require the security of nearby cover so they will repeatedly return to an area to feed. Many birds like to look for food on the ground under the protection of dense, twiggy shrubs.
Trees that will provide food and cover include many species of hawthorn, oak, mountain ash, Rocky Mountain juniper, Austrian and pinyon pines, spruces, firs, hackberries, plums, and flowering crabapples, Shrubs that will provide food and cover include honeysuckles, snowberries, red and yellow twig dogwoods, sumacs. coralberries, serviceberries, chokecherries, and a wide variety of shrubby plums.
The Audubon Society - Rocky Mountain Region - has a native plant finder specific to your area. Enter your email and zip code and they will send you a list of bird-friendly plants native to your area. Native plants not only provide food and shelter for local birds and wildlife but also require less water which makes them better for the environment, and of course, they're beautiful!
References
Total Landscape Care. (2019, Dec. 16). Bird is the word: Plants for a bird-friendly yard. https://www.totallandscapecare.com/top-stories-homepage/create-a-bird-friendly-yard/
Plant Talk Colorado. Plant Talk Colorado. 1702-Attracting Birds. https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/trees-shrubs-vines/1702-attracting-birds/
Rockies.Audubon.org. Habitat Hero Resources. Tools and information for creating a bird-friendly garden. https://rockies.audubon.org/habitat-hero/resources