13 Australian native plants that provide berries for local birds
A garden that fruits across multiple seasons gives birds a reason to return rather than passing through. It also contributes to seed dispersal, which is how many native plants colonise new ground. The relationship between fruiting native plants and the birds that eat them is one of the most ecologically significant in the Australian flora and one of the easiest to support from your garden.
Australasian figbird (Sphecotheres vieilloti)
The 13 plants below produce fruit that Australian birds genuinely use. Each entry names the birds most likely to visit, which varies by climate zone and garden context. Before planting, see our guide to planting natives for the best success and our maintenance guide by climate zone for seasonal timing.
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1. Muntries (Kunzea pomifera)
Victoria · SA · Southern NSW · WA
Muntries is a prostrate groundcover that produces speckled red-green berries in late summer and autumn. The berries are edible and have a significant place in the diet of the Ngarrindjeri and other First Nations peoples of southern Australia. In the garden they are taken by crimson rosellas, superb fairy-wrens, silvereyes and ground-feeding bronzewing pigeons. It is one of the few fruiting native groundcovers available which makes it particularly useful in the lower sections of a layered planting.
Growing conditions
Muntries performs best in free-draining sandy or loamy soils in full sun across cool temperate and Mediterranean climates. It is one of the most drought-tolerant fruiting plants and tolerates coastal exposure and poor soils. It doesn't perform well in humidity or heavy clay without excellent drainage. Plant in autumn for best establishment. See our Adelaide and Melbourne guides for companion species in similar conditions.
For the best fruiting
Plant at least two specimens to ensure cross-pollination and better fruit set. Prune lightly with secateurs after fruiting to maintain a compact form. A terracotta olla buried by the root ball is useful through the fruiting period in dry summers.
Superb fairy-wren (Malurus cyaneus)
2. Native currant (Coprosma quadrifida)
Victoria · Tasmania · Southern NSW · SA highlands
Native currant is a prickly understorey shrub that produces translucent red berries in late summer and autumn. It is one of the most important fruiting plants for cool temperate bird communities. They are taken by silvereyes, flame robins, grey fantails, superb fairy-wrens and thornbills. It is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers are on separate plants, so both sexes are needed for fruit production. It fills the shaded understorey position that few other fruiting shrubs can.
ANTHRO2022, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Growing conditions
Native currant is ideally suited to the dry understorey beneath established eucalypts and in shaded fence lines where other fruiting shrubs struggle. It is not suited to tropical or subtropical climates or to exposed positions in full sun.
For the best fruiting
The male plant does not fruit but is essential for pollination. Prune only to shape using secateurs and avoid heavy pruning which delays fruiting. Keep soil consistently moist through the fruiting period.
Flame robin (Petroica phoenicea)
3. Native pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata)
Victoria · Tasmania · Southern NSW · SA highlands
Native pepper is an understorey shrub with dark green foliage and clusters of purple-black berries in autumn. The berries are taken by currawongs, grey shrike-thrushes, satin bowerbirds and various pigeons. The plant has a long culinary history and has become increasingly available as interest in native foods has grown. It is one of the most structurally attractive fruiting shrubs for cool temperate gardens.
Murray Fagg, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Growing conditions
Native pepper prefers moist, humus-rich, well-drained soils in part shade. It performs in cool temperate forests and highland gardens and is one of the few fruiting shrubs that tolerates frost. It is not suited to dry or arid climates or to full sun in exposed positions. See our Hobart and frost tolerant plants guides for companion species.
For the best fruiting
Plant at least one male and one female. Maintain consistent soil moisture with a deep mulch layer of coarse organic material. Prune lightly with secateurs after fruiting to maintain shape.
Pied currawong (Strepera graculina)
4. Midyim berry (Austromyrtus dulcis)
Queensland · Northern NSW
Midyim is a low spreading shrub that produces small white speckled berries with a sweet, spicy flavour through summer and autumn. The berries are taken by silvereyes, lewin's honeyeaters, wompoo fruit-doves and varied trillers. The flecked berries are striking enough to earn the plant a place purely on aesthetic grounds, but their wildlife value makes them genuinely useful.
Growing conditions
Midyim berry performs best in free-draining sandy or loamy soils in full sun to part shade across subtropical and warm temperate climates. It tolerates coastal exposure and salt winds. See our Brisbane native plants guide for companion species.
For the best fruiting
Midyim is self-fertile and does not require a second plant for fruiting. Prune lightly after fruiting to maintain density. In dry summers, deep watering with a terracotta olla significantly improves fruit size and yield.
Wompoo fruit-dove (Ptilinopus magnificus)
5. Ruby saltbush (Enchylaena tomentosa)
All mainland states
Ruby saltbush is a low, spreading shrub with soft grey-green foliage. Its small berries ripen from yellow to red and purple through autumn and winter. The berries are taken by emus, spinifex pigeons, crested pigeons, zebra finches, honeyeaters and various ground-feeding birds. It is also one of the most drought-tolerant plants in the Australian flora, surviving on minimal rainfall. It tolerates saline soils that would defeat most other fruiting plants.
Melburnian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Growing conditions
Ruby saltbush grows in almost any well-drained soil in full sun across all mainland climate zones. It is particularly valuable in inland, arid and Mediterranean gardens where few other fruiting plants are reliable. It tolerates both saline and alkaline soils, coastal exposure and extended drought. See our dry garden guide for companion species.
For the best fruiting
Ruby saltbush requires minimal management. Prune lightly with secateurs after the main fruiting period to maintain a compact form and encourage fresh growth. It is largely self-sufficient once established and does not require supplemental watering.
Spinifex pigeon (Geophaps plumifera)
6. Kangaroo apple (Solanum laciniatum)
Victoria · NSW · Tasmania · SA · QLD
Kangaroo apple is a fast-growing shrub with oval fruits that ripen from green to bright orange-yellow in autumn. The ripe fruit is taken by currawongs, pied currawongs, satin bowerbirds, crimson rosellas and bronzewing pigeons. It is one of the fastest fruiting shrubs available, often producing fruit in its first year and it self-seeds readily from bird-dispersed seed. It is short-lived, typically three to five years.
Growing conditions
Kangaroo apple is highly adaptable and grows in most well-drained soils in full sun. It is one of the most reliable pioneer plants for disturbed ground and establishes quickly in a restorative planting or converted garden bed. It is frost-sensitive and not suited to alpine or cold highland climates.
For the best fruiting
Kangaroo apple requires minimal management. Allow spent plants to remain until self-seeded replacements are established. Prune lightly with secateurs to manage height if needed.
Crimson rosella (Platycercus elegans)
7. Blueberry ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus)
Victoria · NSW · QLD · Tasmania
Blueberry ash is a medium tree with fringed flowers followed by blue berries. The berries are taken by wonga pigeons, topknot pigeons, lewin's honeyeaters, satin bowerbirds and rose-crowned fruit-doves. The berries can remain on the tree for months, providing food well into the season when other fruiting plants have finished. The combination of fringed flowers and fruit making it a genuinely distinctive garden tree.
Tatiana Gerus from Brisbane, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Growing conditions
Blueberry ash performs best in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade across cool to warm temperate and subtropical climates. It tolerates coastal conditions and is one of the more adaptable medium trees for suburban gardens in eastern Australia. In Sydney and Melbourne gardens it is one of the most reliable wildlife trees available.
For the best fruiting
Blueberry ash is self-fertile. Prune only to shape in the first few years using secateurs or loppers for larger stems. Once established it requires minimal intervention and fruits reliably each year.
Satin bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus)
8. Native cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis)
Victoria · NSW · Tasmania · SA · WA · QLD
Native cherry is one of the most ecologically distinctive trees on this list. The small red to yellow fleshy stalk (the edible part) is not the true fruit. It is the small green nut that sits on top of it, which is actually the seed. This inverted arrangement is unique and gang-gang cockatoos, crimson rosellas, superb parrots, painted button-quail and various pigeons take both parts. It is also hemiparasitic, meaning its roots attach to those of neighbouring plants to supplement its water and nutrient intake.
John Tann from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Growing conditions
Native cherry performs best in well-drained soils in full sun to part shade across temperate and cool temperate climates. Plant it alongside established eucalypts or wattles to provide suitable host roots. It is slow-growing initially but once established requires minimal care.
For the best fruiting
Native cherry fruits best once it has established a parasitic root connection with a host plant. Patience in the first two to three years is rewarded with reliable fruiting thereafter. Do not disturb the root zone once planted.
Superb parrot (Polytelis swainsonii)
Designing for fruiting birds
Fruiting plants work best when they are not isolated. A single lilly pilly or blueberry ash will attract birds, but a garden that sequences fruiting across multiple seasons keeps birds returning consistently.
Dense planting around fruiting trees also matters. Larger birds like currawongs and pigeons will take fruit from exposed positions, but smaller birds need safe cover close to the food source before they will feed. Low dense shrubs within a few metres of fruiting trees significantly increase the diversity of birds that use them. See our guide to layered planting for how to build this structure effectively.
9. Sandpaper fig (Ficus coronata)
NSW · QLD · Northern VIC
Sandpaper fig is one of the most important fruiting trees for wildlife in subtropical climates. The small purple figs are taken by an exceptionally wide range of birds including figbirds, wompoo fruit-doves, rose-crowned fruit-doves, Lewin's honeyeaters, satin bowerbirds, channel-billed cuckoos and many others. The rough, sandpaper-textured leaves are distinctive and the tree has a relaxed, informal habit.
Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Growing conditions
Sandpaper fig grows in a wide range of soils in full sun to part shade across subtropical and warm temperate climates. It tolerates poor drainage better than most figs and is suitable for waterside planting. See our Brisbane and Sydney guides for companion species.
For the best fruiting
Sandpaper fig is self-fertile and fruits without intervention once established. It requires the presence of the native fig wasp for pollination in its natural habitat, but in garden situations fruiting is generally reliable. Prune only to manage size using loppers or a pruning saw.
Channel-billed cuckoo (Scythrops novaehollandiae)
10. Nitre bush (Nitraria billardieri)
SA · VIC · NSW · WA · QLD · NT
Nitre bush is a dense, spreading shrub with clusters of fleshy red berries in summer and autumn. The berries are taken by crested pigeons, spinifex pigeons, honeyeaters, zebra finches and various ground-feeding birds. It is one of the most productive fruiting shrubs for arid and semi-arid gardens, tolerating conditions that defeat almost every other fruiting plant. The dense, thorny habit also provides excellent nesting and shelter cover for small birds.
Peripitus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Growing conditions
Nitre bush grows in most well-drained soils in full sun across arid, semi-arid and Mediterranean climates. It tolerates saline and alkaline soils, coastal exposure and extended drought once established. It is an excellent companion to other dry garden natives and pairs well with ruby saltbush in arid plantings.
For the best fruiting
Nitre bush is largely self-sufficient in arid conditions and does not require supplemental watering in most climates. Prune lightly with secateurs after fruiting if needed to maintain shape, but the natural spreading form is part of its value as bird shelter.
Regent honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia)
11. Dianella (Dianella tasmanica)
Victoria · NSW · Tasmania · SA · ACT
Dianella produces purple berries in summer and autumn that are among the most visually striking fruit of any native plant. The berries are taken by silvereyes, satin bowerbirds, grey shrike-thrushes and various honeyeaters. It tolerates a huge range of positions which makes it one of the most versatile additions to a wildlife garden.
Growing conditions
Dianella tasmanica performs in dry shade beneath eucalypts, in open sunny borders and in moist gully conditions. It is suited to all cool and warm temperate climates and is one of the most reliable lower plants available for a layered planting.
For the best fruiting
Divide congested clumps every three to four years using a hori-hori to maintain vigour and improve fruit set. Each divided section will re-establish and fruit within a season or two.
12. Lilly pilly (Syzygium australe)
NSW · QLD · Northern VIC
Lilly pilly is the most widely planted fruiting native in Australian gardens. The masses of white flowers are followed by large, fleshy berries that are taken by figbirds, wonga pigeons, topknot pigeons, lewin's honeyeaters, silvereyes and pied currawongs. Compact cultivars make it manageable in smaller gardens and it fruits reliably from a young age. It is also one of the most effective screening plants available, combining privacy with significant wildlife value.
Growing conditions
Lilly pilly performs best in moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade across subtropical and warm temperate climates. In Sydney and Brisbane gardens it is one of the most reliable all-round plants available. Watch for psyllid — small insects that cause dimpling on leaves — and manage with appropriate natural treatments so you don't harm the birds you are trying to attract.
For the best fruiting
Lilly pilly is self-fertile. Prune to shape using secateurs or loppers immediately after fruiting to avoid removing developing flower buds. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilisers which promote leaf growth at the expense of flowering and fruiting.
Topknot pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus)
13. Common apple berry (Billardiera scandens)
Victoria · NSW · Tasmania · SA · Southern QLD
Common apple berry is a slender twining plant with small fleshy berries that ripen in late summer and autumn. The fruit is taken primarily by silvereyes and thornbills, which are small enough to manage the berry easily. It occupies a genuinely different niche to every other plant on this list, wrapping through low shrubs and along fence lines.
Growing conditions
Common apple berry performs best in moist, well-drained soils in part to full shade across cool and warm temperate climates. It is one of the most useful plants for the dry understorey. It is not suited to exposed sunny positions, arid climates or tropical and subtropical gardens.
For the best fruiting
It flowers and fruits more reliably when allowed to spread freely. Prune only to remove spent growth using secateurs. Keep soil consistently moist with a deep mulch layer through summer.
Brown thornbill (Acanthiza pusilla)
A garden that feeds birds through every season
The plants above collectively cover every Australian climate zone and every fruiting season. Planting even three or four of them in suitable positions will measurably increase the bird diversity visiting your garden. The key is sequencing — something fruiting in summer, something in autumn, something holding fruit into winter — so that birds have a consistent reason to return rather than a single visit at peak fruiting time.
Golden whistler (Pachycephala pectoralis)
For the full picture of how to design a garden that supports wildlife at every level, see our guide to plants with high wildlife value, our native bee planting guide for the pollination layer and how to restore a degraded garden for creating the conditions that make all of this possible.
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A Guide to Australian Native Gardening
How to plan, plant and care for a thriving native garden, whatever your experience level.
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