Bird - Toxic Plants

Should I be worried?

Many birds naturally eat plants as part of their diet. Some birds will chew on and possibly consume plants in the course of curiosity and play. Birds left unsupervised out of their cage may easily encounter plants kept around the house and in the garden. It is important for owners to be aware of which plants are toxic to birds. Few actual studies are available in regard to plant toxicity and birds. Most plants will just make a bird sick but some can kill. Extrapolations from information pertaining to other species including humans concerning harmful effects must be made (we must look at information abouth toxic plants in other species and use this information to guide us as to what will be toxic, and what the effects will be, in birds).

Which plants?

The following list of indoor and outdoor plants is an attempt to catalogue the plants considered to be potentially toxic. If there is concern regarding specific plants not listed here then consult your local vet or reputable nursery for more information. Some plants have been included on this list even if there is a remote possibility of concern.

• Alderberry Buckthorn
• Aloe Vera
• Amaryllis
• American Yew
• Andromeda japonica
• Anemone
• Angel's Trumpet
• Apple (seeds)
• Apricot (pit)
• Asparagus fern
• Autumn Crocus (Meadow Saffron)
• Avocado (fruits and pit)
• Azalea
• Babies Breath
• Baby Doll Ti
• Balsam Pear
• Baneberry
• Bean Plants
• Bird of Paradise
• Bittersweet
• Black Elderberry (not berry)
• Black Locus
• Bleeding Heart or Dutchman's Breeches
• Bloodroot
• Blue-green Algae
• Boxwood
• Bracken Fern
• Buckeye
• Buckthorn
• Buddhist Pine
• Bulb Flowers
• Burdock
• Buttercup
• Cadelabra Tree
• Caladium
• Calico Bush
• Calla Lily
• Cardinal Flower
• Castor Bean (Castor Oil Plant)
• Ceriman
• Chalice Vine or Trumpet Vine
• Cherry Trees (leaves, bark, seeds - Not pulp of fruit)
• China Doll
• Chinaberry Tree
• Chinese Evergreen
• Chinese Lantern
• Christmas Cactus
• Christmas Candle
• Christmas Cherry (berries)
• Christmas Rose
• Chrysanthemum
• Cineraria
• Clematis
• Coffee Plants
• Coral Plant
• Cordatum
• Corn Plant
• Cowslip
• Crown of Thorns
• Crown Vetch
• Cyclamen
• Daffodil
• Daisy
• Daphne
• Datura (berries)
• Day Lilly
• Death Amanita
• Death Camas
• Delphinium
• Devil's Ivy
• Dieffenbachia
• Dracaena Palm
• Dragon Tree
• Egg-Plant
• Elderberry
• Elephant's Ear (Taro)
• Emerald Feather
• English Holly
• English Ivy
• English Yew
• Eucalyptus
• Euonymus
• Evergreen (most)
• False Hellebore
• Felt Plant
• Fiddle Leaf fig
• Firethorn
• Flame Tree
• Flamingo Plant
• Fluffy Ruffles
• Fly Agaric Mushrooms
• Four O'clock
• Foxglove
• Geranium
• German Ivy
• Ginko
• Glacier Ivy
• Gladiola
• Glory Lilly
• Golden Chain
• Ground Cherry
• Hawaiian Baby
• Hawaiian Ti
• Heavenly Bamboo
• Hemlock (Poison and Water)
• Henbane
• Hibiscus
• Hogwort
• Holly
• Honey Locust
• Honeysuckle
• Horse Beans
• Horse Chestnut
• Horsetail
• Hurrican Plant
• Hyacinth
• Hydrangea
• Impatiens
• Indian Laurel
• Indian Rubber Plant
• Indian Turnip
• Iris
• Jack-In-The-Pulpit
• Japanese Yew
• Jasmine
• Java Bean (Glorybean)
• Jequirity Bean
• Jerusalem Cherry
• Jimson weed
• Juniper
• Kalanchoe
• Kentucky Coffe Tree
• Lantana
• Larkspur
• Laurels
• Lilly, many species, Tiger, Easter, Oriental..etc.
• Lily-Of-The-Valley
• Lobelia
• Locoweed
• Locusts Honey
• Locusts, Black
• Lords-and-Ladies
• Lupine or Blue Bonnets
• Marble Queen
• Marijuana
• May Apple or Mandrake
• Mescal Bean
• Mexican Breadfruit
• Milkweed
• Miniture Croton
• Mistletoe
• Mock Orange
• Monkshood
• Moonseed
• Morning Glory
• Mother-In-Law's Tongue
• Mountain Laurel
• Mushrooms (Amanita, other wild species)
• Narcissus
• Needle Point Ivy
• Nephthytis
• Nettles
• Nightshades
• Norfolk Pine
• Nutmeg
• Oleander
• Paradice Plant
• Parsnip Plant
• Peace Lilly
• Peach (pits and leaves)
• Pencil Cactus
• Pencil Tree
• Peony
• Periwinkle
• Peyote
• Philodendron
• Pigweed
• Plum (pit and Leaves)
• Plumosa Fern
• Poinsettia
• Poison Hemlock
• Poison Ivy
• Poison Oak
• Pokeweed
• Poncirus
• Poppies
• Potato (new shoots)
• Pothos
• Precatory Bean
• Primrose
• Primula
• Privet
• Purple Sesbane
• Rain Tree
• Ranuculus Buttercup
• Red Maple
• Rhododendron
• Rhubarb (leaves)
• Ribbon Plant
• Rosary Peas
• Roseary Beans
• Rubber Plant
• Sago Palm
• Sandbox Tree
• Schefflera
• Skunk Cabbage
• Snow Flake
• Snowdrop
• Snow-On-The-Mountain
• Solomon's Seal
• Sorrel Spurges
• Spindle Tree (berries)
• Star of Bethlehem
• String of Pearls
• Sweet Pea (plant)
• Taro Vine
• Tasy Ragwort
• Thornapple
• Tobacco
• Tobacco Tree
• Tomato Plant (green fruit, stem, leaves)
• Tulip
• Vetch
• Virginia Creeper
• Water Hemlock
• Wattle
• Weeping Fig
• Western Yew
• White Cedar
• Wisteria
• Yam Bean
• Yellow Jasmine
• Yesterday, today, Tomorrow Plant
• Yews
• Yucca

If in doubt remove the plant!