I have a small garden. I have a few plants and flowers. But I wanted to attract birds to come naturally in my garden as they are beneficial in killing those unwanted pests.

Can anybody suggest the right flowers or plants to choose and other ways to attract birds? I would highly appreciate all of your replies. Thanks in advance!

annuals (in our zone 5);
-torch tithonia
-petunia
-sage, any sage or salvia (both have perennial varieties too)
-zinnia

perennials include;
-liatris, esp. spicata, but really any liatris is attractive
-aster, we have one I call thistle, it has tiny black thistle/niger type seeds, and the birds love it all winter long, they clean the plant out
-ornamental grass, lots of seeds, bonus, very attractive all winter

Also, if you can find a tiny corner, a little bit of scrubby brush is attractive to birds, for cover and a place to hide and for foraging nest material.

This webpage goes into dif. types of birds & what they prefer, you can tailor your plants to the birds you want to attract.
http://www.helpfulgardener.com/design/2003/bird.html

Bees are also important, to me lots of bees is a good sign that my garden is healthy, often bees, butterflies & hummers enjoy similar plants, tho bees are more interested in pollen of course.

Try to use minimal chemicals, don't want to poison the birds you're striving to attract, & they can be very sensitive to weed killers, etc. I am as close to organic as I can be, I do use fertilizer, but for pests, I really try to go organic.

OK, have to admit, we feed, niger seed all year, niger, suet & safflower seed all winter. Cheating, yes, but we love the birds & it's a guarenteed way to get them to your yard!

I'm sure others will chime in w/more suggestions, good luck!