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Bird-friendly Communities in North Carolina
Our Goals
Protecting birds in the places where people work and live, from urban centers to rural towns.
What We鈥檙e Doing
Parntering with chapters to promote native plants, protect and build urban nesting habitat, and make the night skies darker and safer for migrating birds.
Where birds thrive, people prosper.
Birds inhabit every part of North Carolina, from coastal marshes to mountain peaks and the cities and towns in between. That鈥檚 why 探花精选 launched the Bird-friendly Communities program more than a decade ago: to help birds thrive where most people live.
A decade later, birds are better off. Native plants are thriving in cities and towns, night skies are darker and safer during migration, and thousands of nest boxes and towers provide safe places for nuthatches and Chimney Swifts. Just as importantly, more people across the state are aware of their backyard birds, connected to local chapters, and empowered to take action.
Plants for Birds in North Carolina
"It's simple: By gardening with native plants, no matter where you live or how small or large your space is, you can help sustain wildlife."
Doug Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home
By simply choosing native plants for our yards and public spaces, we can restore vital habitats for birds and help them adapt in the face of climate change.
Our chapters are deeply engaged in this work, from lobbying for better native plants regulations to creating bird-friendly landscape manuals and yard certification programs. Recent state-wide victories include legislation passed by the NC General Assembly that requires native plants be used in landscaping at all state parks, roads, and historic sites.
Resources:
- 探花精选's native plants database, searchable by zip code.
- North Carolina-specific list of 700 bird-friendly plants
- created by New Hope Bird Alliance
Bird-friendly Buildings and Lights Out
Research shows more than 1 billion birds may be killed each year in the U.S. due to window collisions. Birds strike buildings day and night: at night, migrating birds are drawn to bright city lights; during the day, reflections and confusing glass cause deadly impacts.
探花精选 chapters are taking action by advocating for bird-friendly building standards and Lights Out policies, which encourage building owners to turn off nonessential lighting during migration.
Resources:
- 探花精选's Lights Out guide, including sample letters to elected officials and building owners
- 探花精选 resources on bird-safe building standards
- What to do if you find a bird that crashed into a window
Thanks to chapter advocacy, cities and towns across the state now have Lights Out programs, including Asheville, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Charlotte, Cumberland County, Greensboro, Matthews, Raleigh, and Winston-Salem.
Chimney Swift Outreach and Conservation
Tiny, acrobatic, and highly adapted to live alongside humans, Chimney Swifts are one of North America鈥檚 most distinctive birds. After spending the daylight hours flying and feeding on insects, swifts use chimneys to nest and, during fall migration, roost in huge number.
These adaptations now puts them at risk, as chimneys are often capped, closed, or built with modern, slick surfaces that disrupt nesting and roosting.
In North Carolina, 探花精选 chapters lead conservation and education efforts for Chimney Swifts, including awareness campaigns and building nesting towers.
How you can help:
- Keep your chimney open. Older, brick-lined chimneys are vital nesting sites, so leave them open or uncap them before swifts return in spring.
- Become a community scientist. Report Chimney Swift nesting and roosting activity to eBird or your local chapter to help identify and protect key sites.
- Build a Chimney Swift tower. Swift towers provide safe nesting habitat in neighborhoods, parks, and schoolyards.
- Protect existing roost towers. Work with schools and building managers to prevent the removal of chimneys used by swifts.
10,000 Nest Boxes for Brown-headed Nuthatches
The Brown-headed Nuthatch is a quirky southern bird and wholly dependent on pinewoods for nesting and breeding. Widespread loss of these forests have led to sharp population declines, making the species a high conservation priority in North Carolina鈥檚 Piedmont and coastal plain.
探花精选 North Carolina responded by engaging communities to protect habitat and build nest boxes. Through the course of this program, thousands of boxes were installed and awareness grew statewide of this special bird and its habitats.
These efforts have helped support Brown-headed Nuthatches and keep this squeeky southern bird a familiar presence across much of the state.
How you can help:
- Build your own nuthatch box using these instructions or find one at a local retailer
- You can also retrofit a bluebird box for for Brown-headed Nuthatches by making the opening smaller - ideally 1 1/8鈥 in diameter. Bird stores sell metal excluders that you can attach over the 1 1/2" hole on a standard bluebird box to make it ready for nuthatches.
- Check out this Brown-headed Nuthatch factsheet from Forsyth 探花精选
"It's simple: By gardening with native plants, no matter where you live or how small or large your space is, you can help sustain wildlife."
- Doug Tallamy, Bringing Nature Home
By simply choosing native plants for our yards and public spaces, we can restore vital habitats for birds in our communities and help them adapt and survive in the face of climate change.
Learn more about Audubnon's Plants for Birds program here and checkout this North Carolina-specific list of 700 bird-friendly plants.
Our chapters are deeply engaged in this work, from lobbying for better native plants regulations in their communities to creating . Recent state-wide victories include legislation passed by the NC General Assembly that requires native plants be used in landscaping at all state parks, roads, and historic sites.
Learn more by getting involved with your local chapter.
Research shows more than 1 billion birds may be killed each year in the U.S. due to window collisions. Birds hit buildings day and night: at night, migrating birds are distracted by bright city lights; during the day, reflections and confusing glass cause collisions.
The increased use of highly glazed or ultra-clear glass presents a serious hazard. Most birds don鈥檛 perceive glass as an obstacle, instead seeing reflected habitat or open sky.
Artificial lights and skyglow can be fatal to migrating birds, impacting hundreds of species. By turning off unnecessary lights, we can help minimize the impact on birds.
探花精选 chapters are taking action by lobbying for bird-friendly building and Lights Out policies, which encourage building owners to turn off uneccesary lighting at night during migration.
Thanks to direct advocacy from our chapters, the following cities have Lights Out programs or specific, high-impact buildings with Lights Out policies:
探花精选鈥檚 Chimney Swift program works to protect one of North America鈥檚 most distinctive birds. The fast-flying Chimney Swift spends nearly all daylight hours on the wing, feeding exclusively on flying insects. Once nesting in hollow trees, swifts adapted to urban life by using chimneys and other artificial structures.
That adaptation now puts them at risk, as chimneys are often capped, closed, or built with slick surfaces that disrupt nesting during the breeding season from early April through late summer. 探花精选 encourages homeowners and building managers to leave suitable chimneys open and undisturbed during this critical period.
In North Carolina, 探花精选 chapters lead conservation and education efforts, including awareness campaigns and the construction of Chimney Swift towers that provide safe nesting habitat and support research, helping swifts persist in human-dominated landscapes.
The Brown-headed Nuthatch is a quintessential southern bird鈥攖iny, squeaky, and full of personality. Just under four inches long, it lives in pine forests from Virginia to east Texas, often in family groups that help raise the next brood. But widespread loss of pine woods and dead trees from deforestation and urbanization caused sharp population declines, making the species a high conservation priority in North Carolina鈥檚 Piedmont and coastal plain.
探花精选 North Carolina responded by engaging communities to protect habitat and add nest boxes, building on a proven conservation approach. Thousands of boxes were installed, awareness grew statewide, and key Important Bird Areas were highlighted as essential strongholds. Together, these efforts helped support Brown-headed Nuthatches and keep this southern bird a familiar presence across much of the state.
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