With accelerating urbanization, the signifi cance of urban green spaces in maintaining urban ecological balance and biodiversity has gained increasing prominence. Nonetheless, conventional approaches to plant selection for urban green spaces often fall short of meeting the requirements of biodiversity-friendly design. This study adopts a dual perspective, considering both the needs of designers and avian biodiversity. Using the eBird platform, bird photographs taken by enthusiasts in Shanghai were extracted to analyze the frequency of plant appearances across photos of diff erent bird species. The study statistically examines frequently appearing plant species and their relationships with various bird taxa. Subsequently, it analyzes the morphological characteristics of these plants that attract forest birds, including their fl owering and fruiting times, as well as diff erences in tree height, canopy spread, and fl owering and fruiting periods of tree species frequently selected by forest birds. Finally, a summarized list of suitable tree species and reference indicators for their complementary use is provided. The study identifi es plants with clear biodiversity- friendly characteristics, such as Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Cinnamomum camphora, Salix babylonica, Styphnolobium japonicum, and Triadica sebifera. Among these, generalist species like Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Cinnamomum camphora, and Salix babylonica appear extremely frequently as “primary tree species” for many birds (such as Pycnonotus sinensis, Eophona migratoria, and Lanius schach), though their “relative appearance ratio” is generally low. Certain tree-bird combinations exhibit signifi cant “selectivity”: although the absolute frequency of some tree species is not high, their high “relative appearance ratio” reveals a strong specifi c association. For example, Turdus naumanni and Ziziphus jujuba demonstrate such a relationship. The study also fi nds that tree species frequently selected by forest birds are generally trees with heights between 5~20 m, with a preference for taller trees reaching 20~30 m. In terms of plant phenology, planting tree species that fl ower around April and fruit in October can help address food scarcity issues in autumn and winter. Regarding fruiting characteristics, birds show a higher frequency of selecting tree species with spherical fruits. These characteristics serve as data indicators to assist designers in species selection. Given the diversity of tree species that diff erent birds frequently select, complementary planting is recommended. The fi ndings of this study provide systematic data on plant species frequently selected by birds, off ering valuable insights for landscape designers. This helps conserve urban biodiversity and promotes the practice and development of biodiversity-friendly urban green space design.