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Things That You Can Use to Make a Wild Animal Habitat

Natural habitat for birds and other wildlife is disappearing at an alarming rate. Creating or restoring habitat in your own backyard, and encouraging others to do the same on their private land, will help wild animals thrive. Elements necessary for suitable habitat include food, water, shelter and space. Your habitat plan can feature some basic items that will meet the fundamental needs of wildlife and integrate eco-friendly practices into your gardening and landscaping projects.

Food Sources
- Native shrubs offer natural foods, like berries, to birds and other wildlife.
  
  Ensuring diversity in the types of available seeds, nuts and berries is essential to providing suitable wildlife habitat that will support a broad array of animal species. Native shrubs, trees and grasses, which vary by region, are excellent food sources. Flower nectar and pollen attract hummingbirds, butterflies and bees, all of which play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity. Hanging bird seed tubes and tray feeders may inadvertently interest so-called nuisance animals, like squirrels and raccoons.
Water Features
- A pool of water, whether in a dish or a pond, gives wildlife a place to drink and bathe.
  
  Installing a pond, waterfall or birdbath with clean water provides a drinking and bathing area in a wildlife habitat, but an easy way to recreate this element is to set a wide, relatively shallow saucer on the ground. Butterflies, turtles and lizards like light-colored, irregularly shaped rocks, not only to bask in the sun, but also to drink the water that collects in any depressions. A bowl of wet sand or a mud puddle also serves as a watering hole.
Adequate Shelter
- Dead or dying trees left standing in a habitat provide cavities for hiding and nesting.
  
  Animals can hide from predators, rest during inclement weather and raise their young among tall grasses, brushy vegetation or leafy tree branches; within cavities of dead or dying trees; and by fallen logs, tree stumps or rock piles. Leaves, twigs and straw that birds can retrieve from the ground to put in bird houses or nest boxes work well, and so do lengths of yarn, strips of cloth and tufts of cotton batting offered from a suet cage. A mud puddle provides additional nest-making material for birds.
Space Considerations
- Both horizontal and vertical zones provide habitat spaces for wildlife.
  
  Habitat sizes vary greatly, from a small backyard to 30 acres of retired farmland. All of these habitats include both horizontal zones, with open spaces for groundcover and wildflowers, and vertical zones, with climbing vines and taller shade trees. Whatever the size of your space, planting a diverse range of native vegetation is key. Plant species that naturally occur in your area are already well-suited to the growing conditions and the wildlife needs of your habitat.
Eco-Friendly Practices
- Your environmentally-friendly habits will lead to better habitats for wild animals.
  
  Sustainable wildlife habitats stay as natural as possible. Reduce the amount of turf grass or manicured lawn, and avoid using chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Explore the use of composting techniques, which provide nest material for birds and homes for worms and other invertebrates. Peacefully coexist with snakes, bats and other animals you might otherwise think of as "pests," because they are actually vital to healthy ecosystems such as the habitat you are creating.

Animals & Science