Habitat at Home

Criteria for Advanced Levels of Recognition for Yards as Habitat
Tier I: Goldfinches at Home / Tier II: Thrashers at Home / Tier III: Cardinals at Home
Native plants for birds / 10% of lot must be “naturescaped” with native plants (see definition of “naturescape” and “native plant” below) / 25% of lot must be “naturescaped” with native plants (see definition of “naturescape” and “native plant” below) / 35% of lot must be “naturescaped” with native plants (see definition of “naturescape” and “native plant” below)
Habitat structure / Habitat contains at least 2 of 3 vegetation layers (understory, midstory, overstory) / Habitat contains at least 2 of 3 vegetation layers (understory, midstory, overstory). / Habitat contains all 3 vegetation layers (understory, midstory, overstory)
Water source / Optional water source for birds like bird bath or water dish / Natural or artificial water source provided. Clean & mosquito-free. / Natural or artificial water source provided. Clean & mosquito-free.
Remove invasive plants / Property is free of buffelgrass, fountaingrass, Russian thistle and Sahara mustard. Residents pledge to learn about other priority invasive plants and work to rid the property of them. / Property free of Goldfinch invasives plus London rocket, puncture vine, matthiola, and Desert bird of paradise. Residents pledge to learn about other priority invasive plants. / Property free of Thrasher invasives plus Bermudagrass, salt cedar/tamarisk, African sumac, giant reed. Residents pledge to learn about other priority invasive plants and work against them.
Rain and stormwater management / Have a future plan for…
  • Rainwater/stormwater harvesting basins or swales (“earthworks”)
  • Rainwater collection cisterns/tanks
  • Graywater system
  • Impervious pavement removed
/ Choose 1
  • Rainwater/stormwater harvesting basins or swales (“earthworks”)
  • Rainwater collection cisterns/tanks
  • Graywater system
  • Impervious pavement removed
/ Choose 2
  • Rainwater/stormwater harvesting basins or swales (“earthworks”)
  • Rainwater collection cisterns/tanks
  • Graywater system
  • Impervious pavement removed

Reducing or eliminating pesticides / Pledge to
  • use mechanical means to remove invasive plants whenever possible
  • choose native plants grown without pesticides such as neonicotinoids.
  • reduce the use of pesticides (see )
/ Pledge to
  • use mechanical means to remove invasive plants whenever possible
  • choose native plants grown without pesticides such as neonicotinoids.
  • use no “red zone” chemicals from the list at
/ Pledge to
  • use mechanical means to remove invasive plants
  • choose native plants grown without pesticides such as neonicotinoids.
  • use no “red or yellow zone” chemicals from the list at

Eliminating hazards / Choose 1
  • At least some windows treated to reduce bird strikes (reflectivity & transparency)
  • Cats kept indoors at all times
  • Reduce outdoor lighting
/ Choose 2
  • At least some windows treated to reduce bird strikes (reflectivity & transparency)
  • Cats kept indoors at all times
  • Outdoor lighting reduced
/ All 3
  • At least some windows treated to reduce bird strikes (reflectivity & transparency)
  • Cats kept indoors at all times
  • Outdoor lighting reduced

Wildlife stewardship / Choose 1
  • Maintain a nest box
  • Create a wildlife brush pile
  • Adopt petroleum-free yard maintenance practices (no gas lawnmowers, leaf blowers, etc.) and fertilizer-free yard maintenance practices (except natural fertilizers for vegetable gardens).
  • Create a pollinator and beneficial insect nesting habitat (drilled blocks, soft wood, etc.)
/ Choose 2
  • Maintain a nest box
  • Create a wildlife brush pile
  • Adopt petroleum-free yard maintenance practices (no gas lawnmowers, leaf blowers, etc.) and fertilizer-free yard maintenance practices (except natural fertilizers for vegetable gardens).
  • Create a pollinator and beneficial insect nesting habitat (drilled blocks, soft wood, etc.)
/ Choose 3
  • Maintain a nest box
  • Create a wildlife brush pile
  • Adopt petroleum-free yard maintenance practices (no gas lawnmowers, leaf blowers, etc.) and fertilizer-free yard maintenance practices (except natural fertilizers for vegetable gardens).
  • Create a pollinator and beneficial insect nesting habitat (drilled blocks, soft wood, etc.)

Education, Citizen Science, Volunteerism / Choose 1
  • Attend local Audubon habitat education program
  • Read our Guide to Food-rich Landscapes
  • Read Bringing Nature Home, by Douglas Tallamy (call our Nature Shop at 520-209-1815 to check availability)
  • Maintain a list of birds and butterflies that visit your yard
  • Contribute observations in your yard to
  • Recruit neighbors to join the Habitat at Home program
  • Become a Habitat at Home volunteer
  • Allow your property to be showcased in habitat tours
/ Choose 2
  • Attend local Audubon habitat education program
  • Read our Guide to Food-rich Landscapes
  • Read Bringing Nature Home, by Douglas Tallamy (call our Nature Shop at 520-209-1815 to check availability)
  • Maintain a list of birds and butterflies that visit your yard
  • Contribute observations in your yard to and/or
  • Recruit neighbors to join the Habitat at Home program
  • Become a Habitat at Home volunteer
  • Allow your property to be showcased in habitat tours
/ Choose 3
  • Attend local Audubon habitat education program
  • Read our Guide to Food-rich Landscapes
  • Read Bringing Nature Home, by Douglas Tallamy (call our Nature Shop at 520-209-1815 to check availability)
  • Maintain a list of birds and butterflies that visit your yard
  • Contribute observations in your yard to and/or
  • Recruit neighbors to join the Habitat at Home program
  • Become a Habitat at Home volunteer
  • Allow your property to be showcased in habitat tours

Native Plants for Birds / Naturescape

A Naturescape must

  1. Contain native plantsonly (except for legacy shade trees). A list of approved native plants will be on our website and other natives may be used as long as they are native to arid areas within roughly 500 miles of our area.
  2. Have a wide variety of native plants
  3. Have the ground covered at least 50% covered by shrubs, bunch grasses or other (non-tree) vegetation when vegetation is mature. This is to assure there is enough density of plants (some xeriscapes are mostly rock with very few plants—we want to avoid this).
  4. Be at least 50% covered with organic mulch or leaf litter (or have a plan to leave leaf litter on bare ground). Again, this is to assure that the ground isn’t just covered with rock (it should be less than 50% riprap or rock mulch).
  5. Leave most or all desert mistletoe (Phoradendron californica) in place, or pledge to leave it in place in the future. This is an important native plant for wildlife.
  6. Naturescapes must not include lawns and it is recommended there be no lawn on the property.

Habitat Structure / Vegetation Layers

Layers are “understory,” “midstory” and “overstory.” Because some birds typical forage or nest in certain layers, it is important to have more than one layer. This is known as the “structural diversity” of the vegetation.

Understory = small shrubs, bunchgrasses, and other vegetation to roughly 3 feet off the ground

Midstory = larger shrubs and lower limbs of trees roughly 3 feet to 7 feet off the ground

Overstory (or tree canopy) = foliage on trees roughly above 7 feet off the ground

Water for Birds

There are a variety of water sources for birds that work well. They include bird baths, water dishes, small basins with recirculating pumps, water drips, etc. We do not recommend making a large source of water like a pond because that consumes much more scarce water than is needed in order to provide drinking and bathing water for birds. Providing water from a rainwater-harvesting cistern or tank could be ideal.

Definition of Invasive Plants

Invasive plants, for our purposes, are ones that humans have brought from outside the continent (or the bioregion), inadvertently or on purpose, and that tend to spread in an uncontrolled fashion. These plants take space away from native habitat plants are less utilized by native wildlife. A list of invasive plants will be on our website.

Rain and Stormwater Management

The rainwater, stormwater and gray water management list is as follows:

  1. Rainwater/stormwater infiltration basins or swale with at least 50 sq. ft. of infiltration area
  2. Rainwater harvesting cistern or tank with at lesat 500 gallons of storage
  3. Gray water system
  4. Removal of impervious surface

For more information, contact Kendall Kroesen, (520) 209-1806