Hackberry

Plants for Wildlife

Hackberry

Hackberry (Celtic occidentalis) is a 40-60' tall tree with a 30' spread. This tree can attain very large proportions, usually reaching 40'-60' tall. When grown in the open, it develops a short bole and a large rounded crown. A native North American tree that is widely distributed in the east, and the Great Plains, Hackberry prefers full sun to partial shade, grows in a variety of soils, and is very draught tolerant. Hackberry fruit is a round drupe with a thin, sweet, edible pulp enclosing a bony, cream-colored nutlet. The fruit, which is usually variable in size, form and color is dark orange or red to dark purple or black in color. The fruit persists though the winter, but most are consumed or fall off by the spring by some of the 25+ species of birds that feed on it, including cedar waxwing, yellow-bellied sapsucker, mockingbird, robin, and others.

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Birding Tips

Wing Bars and Tail Shape

Look for details on the bird's body, wings, and tail. Keep an eye out for wing bars, color patches, and markings on the bird's body, and describe the tail shape in flight.

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Plants for Wildlife

Fruiting

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