Michigan has a wide variety of backyard birds. And In this article, I’ll list and explain all the backyard birds of Michigan in detail.
Note: If you’re short on time I have compiled a table of all the backyard birds with identification and their Diet. You can also read about these birds in detail below.
| Backyard Birds in Michigan | Length | Weight | Identification(Color) | Diet/Favorite Food |
| Black-Capped Chickadee | 10-15 cm | 12 gm (0.42oz) | Small bird with a big round head. They have black caps and beaks, white cheeks, with a gray back, wings, and tail. | They eat seeds, different berries, insects, suet, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and spiders. |
| Blue Jay | 22-30 cm | 65-110 gm (2.2- 3.8oz ) | Blue crest, black backs, and white undersides. | Acorns, insects, grain, nuts, and seeds. |
| American Robin | 23-28 cm | 77 gm (2.71oz) | These birds have black heads and backs with a hint of red or orange in their breast. | Mostly insects, berries, and earthworms. In early summer, insects make up the majority of the diet; they also feed on many earthworms, snails, spiders, and other invertebrates. |
| Northern Cardinal | 21-24 cm | 43 gm (1.51oz) | Males are red with a black patch around their faces. Females have brown shades with red highlights and beaks. | Sunflower seeds, millet, milo, peanut hearts. |
| Mourning Dove | 22-36 cm | 120 gm (4.23oz) | Soft brown in color with hints of black on the wings. | Millet, black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, peanut hearts. |
| American Goldfinch | 11-13 cm | 14 gm (0.49oz) | They are quite popular, with bright yellow and black colors in males. The female counterparts however tend to be dull brown in shade. | Mostly seeds, some insects. Diet is primarily seeds, especially those of the daisy (composite) family, also those of weeds and grasses, and small seeds of trees such as elm, birch, and alder. Also eats buds, the bark of young twigs, and maple sap. |
| American Crow | 40-53 cm | 320-620 gm (11.28-21.86oz) | These birds are large with all black bodies. They are found on treetops, beaches, and towns. | Earthworms, seeds, insects, fruits, fish, young turtles, clams, eggs, mussels, and nestlings of different species of birds. |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 24cm/37cm | 85 gm (2.9oz) | All black only with a bright red and yellow patch on the top of their wings. The female is pale brown. | Mixed grains. |
| Downy Woodpecker | 14-17 cm | 21-28 gm (0.74-0.98oz) | They are b&w in color with patches of red here and there. They are found in woodlots, in backyards, and along streams. | Insects, beetle larvae, acorns, berries and grains, black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, millets. |
| White-breasted Nuthatch | 27-28 cm | 20 gm (0.70oz) | These are active little birds with a grayish-blue back and white face and belly with a black cap. Their lower belly and tails are mostly of the chestnut shade. | They feed on insects and larvae like caterpillars, ants, and even spiders. Other than that, they also feed on acorns, sunflower seeds, hawthorns, and corn crops. |
| Song Sparrow | 12-17 cm | 19 gm (0.67oz) | Brown streaked birds are well known for singing all day just in order to attract mates during the season. | They eat a wide variety of insects like caterpillars, beetles, midges, spiders, and earthworms, along with buckwheat, raspberries, sunflower, wild cherries, wheat, and rice. |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 23-27 cm | 72 gm (2.5oz) | A pale red belly with a red cap b&w stripped back. | Insects, spiders, nuts, seeds, acorns, pine cones, grapes, oranges, hackberries, mangoes, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. |
| European Starling | 22 cm | 58-100 gm (2.04-3.52oz) | These birds are stocky black, with a purple, green and blue hue. These birds are famous for their aggressive behavior. | They eat insects like flies, beetles, caterpillars, earthworms, and spiders, along with fruits like cherries, holly berries, mulberries, Virginia Creeper, sumac, blackberries, and even seeds and grains. |
| Tufted Titmouse | 15-17 cm | 21 gm (0.74) | Gray backs with a hint of white underneath and large eyes. | Insects like caterpillars, ants, beetles, spiders, snails, and wasps. Also nuts, berries, seeds, and shelled seeds. |
| House Sparrow | 14-18 cm | 24-40 gm (0.84-1.41oz) | These birds are extremely common and would literally eat out of your hand. They are mostly found in busy areas close to human existence. | They feed on all grains and seeds, like birdseed, millet, corn, and sunflower seeds along with discarded food. |
| Common Grackle | 28-34 cm | 110 gm (3.88oz) | Tall blackbird with a long tail and glossy texture. These birds move in huge flocks. | Eats mostly insects, berries, seeds, fruit, bird eggs, although it is also known to eat frogs and snakes. |
| Northern Flicker | 30-35 cm | 120 gm(4.23oz) | Large woodpeckers, with a size in between crows and Robins, with brown body color and black spots, bars, and crescents all over their bodies along with a red nape. They also have hints of yellow on their bodies as well. | Black oil sunflower seeds are their favorite. |
| House Finch | 14 cm | 19-22 gm (0.67-0.77oz) | These birds have a redhead and breast in the males and a brown streak of colors in females. They are generally noisy and move in flocks. | Seeds, buds, and fruits like thistle, cactus, cherries, apricots, plums, blackberries, figs, and strawberries. |
| Dark-eyed Junco | 12-16 cm | 19 gm(0.67oz) | These are dark-eyed variants of Sparrows. These birds are long-distance migratory birds. | Black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts. |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 7.1-10.2 in (18-26 cm) | 1.4-3.4 oz (40-95 g) | These are black and white birds. ; The head of this bird has two white stripes. The black wings are checkered with white. | Mostly insects, berries, seeds, and nuts. |
| Common Yellowthroat | 11-13 cm | 9 gm (0.31oz) | Small songbirds with a brown back with a hint of yellow and a long tail. They have an apparent black mask across their face. They might also have olive undertones. | They eat all kinds of insects. |
| Gray Catbird | 21-24 cm | 35 gm (1.23oz) | Their songs sound like a cat’s mew. Gray in color with a black cal and reddish patch on the tails. | Fruits like dogwood, winterberry, and serviceberry. |
| Barn Swallow | 15-20 cm | 17-20 gm (0.59-0.70oz) | These are small birds in a combination of deep blue, black, and reddish-brown. Their tails have long outer feathers. | Ground-up eggshells are their favorite. |
Backyard Birds Of Michigan In Different Seasons
Winter Backyard Birds
- Black-capped Chickadee (50%)
- Northern Cardinal (40%)
- Downy Woodpecker (40%)
- Blue Jay (38%)
- Dark-eyed Junco (37%)
- White-breasted Nuthatch (37%)
- American Crow (34%)
- Mourning Dove (33%)
- American Goldfinch (32%)
- Red-bellied Woodpecker (30%)
- Tufted Titmouse (28%)
- House Sparrow (27%)
- House Finch (22%)
- European Starling (21%)
- American Tree Sparrow (20%)
Summer Backyard Birds
- American Robin (63%)
- Red-winged Blackbird (52%)
- Song Sparrow (46%)
- Mourning Dove (45%)
- American Goldfinch (44%)
- Blue Jay (42%)
- Northern Cardinal (40%)
- Common Grackle (36%)
- Black-capped Chickadee (35%)
- American Crow (35%)
- Cedar Waxwing (27%)
- Chipping Sparrow (27%)
- Gray Catbird (27%)
- European Starling (27%)
- Red-eyed Vireo (26%)
- Barn Swallow (25%)
- Northern Flicker (25%)
- House Sparrow (24%)
- Eastern Kingbird (23%)
- Downy Woodpecker (23%)
- Eastern Wood-Pewee (22%)
- White-breasted Nuthatch (22%)
- Red-bellied Woodpecker (21%)
- Indigo Bunting (20%)
- House Wren (20%)
- Brown-headed Cowbird (20%)
Backyard Birds Of Michigan In Detail
Black-capped Chickad
The Black-Capped Chickadee’s back, wings, and medium-sized tail are light grey with a white border in the shape of minute feathers.
A buff-colored white breast and underbelly, a black bib with a white face, and a massive black cap that extends just below the eyes characterize this bird.
The beaks of these birds are tiny and conical, with black conical ends. This bird favors woodland areas, although it will dwell in thick vegetation with shrubs or bushes as well.
Marshes, provided they provide adequate shelter, are also favored by the Black-capped Chickadee.
As a feeder diet, this bird favors peanuts and peanut butter, although it also enjoys Black Oil Sunflower seeds, and suet.
Blue Jay
Blue jays are a beautiful bird genus that may be found in large numbers in parks, around bodies of water, and in heavily populated regions. This plant grows well in rocky areas with exposed soil and cliffs.
Visitors rush to view it, and photographers are always drawn to its vivid, colorful plumage. Blue jays are often regarded as the best bird for bird watchers and hikers due to their shyness and ability to hide in dense grass and oak trees.
They consume a variety of seeds, but their favorite is sunflower seeds.
If you want to attract Blue Jays to your yard then feed them berries, suet, insects, worms, and carrion
American Robin
American Robins are distinguished by their reddish-orange breasts and black feathers on the head, back, wings, and tail. Their beaks are huge and sharp, and they have white wings with white borders.
They are woodland creatures who like to live outside. They are herbivores in their native environment, eating berries, leaves, and insects.
If you want to attract American Robin to your yard then feed them sunflower seeds, suet, peanut hearts, fruit, and mealworms.
You can either disperse food on the ground or on platforms. Berry-bearing trees and shrubs like juniper, sumac, hawthorn, and dogwood can also be used to attract them.
Northern Cardinal
Northern Cardinals are one of the most common and well-known garden birds. Males have brilliant red feathers and a black mask, while females have duller, lighter brown feathers with a reddish pattern.
Both males and females have gorgeous orange beaks and distinctive “mohawks.” Northern Cardinals may be seen all year in practically every region of the United States.
Northern Cardinals are attracted to backyard feeders with sunflower seeds, peanut hearts, millet, and milo.
Mourning Dove
The mourning dove belongs to the Columbidae family. Mourning doves are also known as rain doves, marsh doves, turtle doves, and, most often, mourning doves.
It is now popular in the United States South, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, California, and Ontario, Canada. This bird visits large cities, meadows, farmlands, parks, resorts, and even private neighborhoods.
If you want to attract Mourning Doves to your yard then start by scattering millet on the ground or utilizing platform feeders. You can also feed them black sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, and peanut hearts.
American Goldfinch
The American goldfinch, sometimes known as just the goldfinch, is a delightful little bird. Each year, they have been known to travel considerable distances, with some traveling as far north as southern Mexico and as far south as the eastern side of the Canadian border.
To mention a few habitats, they like marshes, backyards, meadows, woodlands, brushlands, fields, hedgerows, tall grasses, and oaks. Environments with spruce and oak trees, as well as creeks, rivers, and streams, are preferable.
If you want to attract American Goldfinches to your yard then grow thistles and milkweed in your yard. They also like to eat sunflower and Nyjer seed and are drawn to the majority of bird feeders.
American Crow
The plumage of the American Crow is vividly colored. This is one of the most frequent birds in the region, and you can spot it almost anywhere.
Birdwatchers have reported witnessing these birds mating on trees near motorways as well as in people’s backyards.
The nectar of flowers is a nice addition to their diet of tree and plant roots. They are one of the most active bird species, which means they are always looking for fresh food.
If you want to attract American Crows to your yard then drop peanuts in your yard.
Red-winged Blackbird
The red-winged blackbird has an all-black plumage that is marked by brilliant red and yellow shoulder patches. Females seem bland in comparison to the males’ streaky brown coloring.
During mating season, males will fiercely protect their territory, even battling anyone who comes too close to nests. They cluster in massive flocks numbering in the millions during the winter.
If you want to attract Red-winged blackbirds to your yard then scatter mixed grain and seeds on the ground.
Downy Woodpecker
The downy woodpecker can frequently be heard screeching or chirping in a high, difficult-to-reach tree. They like sagebrush thickets and forested areas.
Their backs are red, their bellies are white, their wings have white patterns on them, and their heads are black and white striped. Males have a red mark on their wings, but females do not.
Downy woodpeckers prefer suet feeders, although platform feeders provide them with black oil sunflower seeds, millet, and peanuts will also work.
White-Breasted Nuthatch
They are commonly spotted in deciduous woods, woodland borders, parks, and tree-lined yards, as well as at bird feeders.
Beetles and their larvae, caterpillars, ants, and spiders are among their food sources. They get the seed by hammering massive nuts and acorns into the bark of trees using their bills.
If you want to attract White-Breasted Nuthatches to your yard then feed them sunflower seeds and peanuts in suet or tube feeders.
Song Sparrow
The song sparrow is a little bird that is only found in America. It is, without a doubt, one of the most numerous, diversified, and adaptable native bird species in the United States.
It’s incredible to think that if this lovely bird decides to make our backyard it’s a permanent home, we may be the first to see it. Tree bark, rocks, logs, and even steep rocky outcrops are among their favorite habitats.
If you want to attract Song sparrows to your backyard feeders then feed them black oil sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and nyjer on platform feeders.
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
The male red-bellied woodpecker’s head and stomach are reddish-brown. Because their bellies are seldom scarlet, inexperienced bird watchers may mistake them for red-headed. The rest of their body is covered in a beautiful crosshatch pattern of black and white stripes.
Their red heads are distinctive, although they are not the same as Red-headed Woodpeckers.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers have color on their stomachs, albeit it’s a light red that may go unnoticed when perched against a tree or feeder. To recognize them, look for black and white barred wings and a red mohawk along their neck.
They like deciduous woodlands or suburban areas, and they are drawn to bird feeders, especially those offering peanuts and sunflower seeds.
European Starling
European Starlings may be identified by their purple-green plumage when closely examined. Except for their long, straight yellow bills, their entire body is coated with it. In the winter, they lose their sparkling plumage and replace it with a brown coat flecked with white spots.
This specific kind of bird may be found almost anywhere. They flourish in artificial habitats like farms, towns, and cities.
These birds consume a wide range of foods. They consume berries, seeds, grains, and other things when they are not eating insects.
Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse is similar to chickadees, except they have a crest instead of a black bib.
They are a little but powerful titmouse, bigger than chickadees and around the size of a junco or House Finch. The body is spherical, with a gigantic tail, a big head, and long legs.
They are light blue-gray on the bottom and dark blue-gray on top. The black feathers that surround the eye emphasize its size. They can be found in parks as well as densely forested deciduous forests.
Tufted Titmice will come to your backyard feeders if you put sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts in tube feeders or suet cages.
House Sparrow
Another successful immigrant that has become one of the most prevalent birds is the House Sparrow.
They’re ubiquitous in and around buildings, and they’ll eat straight off your palm since they’re gentle. They are pests since they are non-native, yet if they are not fed, they will still be found in backyards.
The majority of birdseed, such as millet, maize, and sunflower seeds, may attract more House Sparrows to your backyard feeders.
Common Grackle
The Common Grackle is an eye-catching bird with a distinct call. They’re purple and blue all the way through, yet they appear black till you look closely.
Their color darkens from the breasts to the face, with a stronger blue saturation towards the face. Their enormous wings, medium-sized tails, bronze-metallic eyes, and long, straight black beaks set them apart. Females appear duller, although young people have darker complexions and eyes.
The bird-like white Proso millet, wheat, oats, and Black Oil Sunflower seeds. You can use these to attract them to your backyard.
Northern Flicker
Northern Flickers are roughly the size of a robin or crow, with brownish plumage speckled with black spots, bars, and crescents, and red on the throat.
The undersides of the tail and wing feathers of eastern birds are dazzling yellow, whereas those of western species are red. They can be seen on the ground searching for ants and beetles in woodlands and forest edges.
Northern Flickers will flock to your garden feeders if you give them suet and black oil sunflower seeds.
House Finch
It was formerly exclusive to the western United States, but it has now expanded throughout the country. Red finches come in a variety of colors and sizes, with house finches being the most frequent in city environments.
It has a medium-sized body and a medium-length notched tail. It has a cone form. The heads, breasts, and backs of males are all blood crimson. Small flocks can be seen on wires, tree branches, and plants.
Previously, these areas were home to deserts and meadows. They’re most common right now in both rural and urban areas.
Black oil sunflower seeds or nyjer seeds in tube or platform feeders may attract House Finches to backyard feeders.
Dark-eyed Junco
Little dark-eyed birds love gardens with some open space, such as meadows, where they may feed on a variety of vegetation. Food, particularly sunflower seeds, appears to be a favorite of these birds, along with nectar and even caraway.
If you want to attract Dark-eyed Juncos to your backyard then feed them black oil sunflower seeds, nyjer, cracked corn, millet, and peanuts.
Hairy Woodpecker
These medium-sized woodpeckers have a black and white pattern on their backs, as well as a huge white patch. A crimson flame appears on the backs of the males’ skulls.
It is similar to the Downy woodpecker, but it is bigger. They’re tough to identify since they always occur in the same places. They are small, strong birds with a whinnying or explosive peak sound that can be spotted at backyard feeders.
Furthermore, black oil sunflower seeds can attract more Hairy Woodpeckers to your yard, and combining them with suet in a superb suet and hopper feeder.
Common Yellowthroat
Common Yellowthroats are beautiful little songbirds with brownish backs, bright yellow chests, lighter yellow bellies, and long tails. The males have black masks on their faces. The yellow’s strength varies widely, and it may be more olive in places beneath.
They may be found in marshy or wetland areas as well as brushy fields in the spring and summer when they dwell in dense, tangled vegetation.
They mostly consume insects and can be found in big backyards with lush vegetation.
Gray Catbird
Gray Catbirds get their name from their characteristic catty mew sound, which may last up to ten minutes. They’re medium-sized songbirds with slate grey plumage, a black crown and tail, and a scarlet spot underneath their tails.
Gray Catbirds breed over much of the United States, with the exception of the Pacific Coast and interior along the west and southwest, before migrating south to the Gulf Coast, Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. Some stay near the Atlantic Coast all year.
Fruit and fruit trees or shrubs like dogwood, winterberry, and serviceberry can attract more Gray Catbirds to your backyard feeders.
Barn Swallow
The wings and tail of a barn swallow are dark blue, with a reddish-brown underside and face. The tail’s long outer feathers form a deep fork.
They mostly reproduce in North America before moving to Central and South America. They are frequently observed soaring above meadows, farms, and fields in search of insects, and they build mud nests in man-made structures such as barns.
Use nest boxes or cups, as well as ground-up eggshells on a platform feeder, to attract more Barn Swallows.
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