Posted by Beth Anne Quinlan, PhD Avian Sciences on 5/30/2020 to
Companion Birds
Do you know which plants should never be kept around your companion birds? The biggest concerns for bird safety around house plants are the pesticides and fertilizers that you use to care for your plants. While confirmed cases of plant toxicities in birds are quite rare, there are many that should be avoided both in your home and for use as perches. These include:
Avocado Azalea (leaves) Black Locust (bark, sprouts, and foliage) Caladium (leaves) Castor Bean (both beans and leaves are toxic) Christmas Cherry (the berry is dangerous) Clematis Crown Vetch Daffodil (bulbs) Daphne (berries) Delphinium (all parts) Diffenbachia (leaves) Dried Arrangements (the seed pods and beans may be highly toxic) Elephant's Ear (leaves and stems) English Ivy (berries and leaves) Foxglove (leaves) Holly (berries) Horse Chestnut Iris (bulb) Jack-in-the-pulpit (all parts) Jerusalem Cherry (berries) Jimson Weed (leaves and seeds) Larkspur Laurels Lily of the Valley (leaves and flowers) Lobelia Lupine Marijuana (leaves) Mistletoe (the berries are highly toxic) Monkshood (leaves and roots) Nightshade (unripe berries and leaves) Oleander (leaves, branches, and nectar of blossoms are all toxic) Philodendron (leaves and stems) Poinsettia (leaves and flowers) Poison Hemlock Rhododendron (leaves) Rhubarb (leaf blade) Rosary Pea (the seeds are toxic) Skunk Cabbage (all parts) Tobacco (leaves) Water Hemlock Yew (needles and seeds)