TOXIC PLANTS

By David Hannon, DVM

Let me start off this article by first telling you that I am not a botanist. But, when birds have access to plants in their environment, it is important to know whether or not they are poisonous. So what I have done is compiled from several sources lists of known toxic plants that your bird might come into contact with. Keep in mind that any unknown plant should be considered toxic until proven otherwise, and should be kept away from the beak of a hungry bird. When possible, I have provided the scientific name and information about the known toxicity of the plant, using the following system:

O - Toxic Oxalates
These plants contain irritating substances
known as oxalates which can irritate the mouth, tongue, and
digestive tract, and swelling may obstruct airways.

T - Toxic
These plants can contain any number of a wide variety
of poisons that may damage the stomach, heart, kidneys,
liver, or other organs.

D - Dermatitis
Contact with these plants may cause a skin rash.

P - Possible Toxicity or Dermatitis
Information on these plants
is incomplete, but they may cause ill effects.

Toxic Plants

Acocanthera (fruit & flowers)
Agapanthus (Nerine bowdenii) - D,T
Amaryllis (bulbs)
Aminita
Amsinckia (foilage, seeds)
Anemone
Angel Trumpet (flowers, leaves)
Apple (seeds)
Apple of Peru
Apricot (pits and bark)
Arrowhead Vine (Syngonium podophyllum) - D,T
Asparagus Fern (Asperagus setaceous plumosus) - D,T
Autumn Crocus (bulbs)
Avocado (Persea americana) - D,P
Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale) - T
Balsam Pear (seeds, fruit rind)
Baneberry (berries, roots)
Beach Pea
Belladona
Betel Nut Palm
Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) – T
Bittersweet (berries)
Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia; bark, sprouts, foilage)
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis; foilage, roots)
Bloodroot
Bluebonnet
Blue Elderberry (Sambucus)
Blue Flag (bulbs)
Blue-green Algae (some)
Bonsai Tree (Pinus pentaphylla, etc.) - P
Bottlebrush (flowers)
Boxwood (Boxus; leaves, stem)
Bracken Fern
Buckeye (sprouts, nuts)
Buckthorn (fruit, bark)
Bushman's Poison
Buttercup (sap, bulbs)
Caladium (leaves) - O
Calla Lilly (Calla palustris; leaves) - O
Candelabra Cactus - D,T
Cardinal Flower
Carolina Jasmine (foilage, flowers, sap)
Cassava (roots)
Castor Bean - (Ricinus communis) - D,T
Chalice Vine
Cherry Laurel (foilage, flowers)
Cherry Tree (Prunus)(leaves, twigs, seeds, bark)
Chinaberry Tree (berries)
Christmas Berry (berries)
Christmas Cactus (sap)
Christmas Candle (sap)
Christmas Rose (foilage, flowers)
Chrysanthemum - D,T
Clematus
Coral Plant (seeds)
Creeping Charlie (Glecona hederacca) - T
Creeping Fig (Ficus) - Poss. D
Crocus (bulbs)
Crotalaria
Croton (foilage, shoots)
Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia milli) – T
Cuckoopint
Cyclamen (foilage, stems, flowers)
Daffodil (Narcissus; bilbs) - D,T
Daphnes (berries)
Datura (berries)
Deadly Amanita
Deadly Nightshade
Death Camas
Death Cap Mushrooms
Delphinium
Dieffenbachia (leaves)
Dogwood (fruit)
Dragon Tree (Dracaenas)
Dumbcane (Dieffenbachia amoena) – O
Dutchman’s Breeches (foilage, roots)
Eggplant (all parts but fruit)
Elderberry (foilage)
Elephant's Ear (leaves, stem)
Emerald Duke (Philodendreon hastatum) - O
English Bean
English Ivy (berries, leaves)
English Laurel
Equisetum
Euphorbia (foilage, flowers, sap)
False Hellebores
False Henbane
Fava Bean
Fiddleneck
Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinia)
Fireweed
Fly Agaric
Four-O'Clock
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea; leaves, seeds) - T
Gelsemium
Geranium (Pelargonium) - D
Geranium (California) - D,T
Ghostweed
Glacier Ivy (Hedera graceria) - T
Glory Lily
Gold Toothed Aloe (Aloe nobilis) - D,T
Golden Chain
Heart Ivy (Hedera helix) - T
Heartleaf (Philodendron cordatum) - O
Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) - P
Hemlock
Hemp (marijuana, hashish)
Henvane (seeds)
Holly (Ilex; berries) - T
Honeysuckle (Lonicera)
Horse Bean
Horse Chestnut (sprouts, nuts, twigs)
Horsetail Reed
Hoya (Hoya carnosa)
Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis; bulbs) - D,T
Hydrangea (flower buds)
Impatiens
Indian Laurel (Ficus nitida) - Poss. D
Indian Turnip
Indigo Plant (Indegofera) - D,T
Iris (bulbs)
Ivy (Hedera helix; foilage, fruit) - T
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Jasmine, yellow (foilage, flowers, sap)
Jasmine Star (foilage, flowers)
Jatropha (seeds, sap)
Java Bean (uncooked bean)
Jequirity Pea
Jerusalem Cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum; berrries) - T
Jessamine (berries)
Jimsonweed (Jamestown Weed; foilage, flowers, seed pods)
Johnson Grass
Juniper (needles, stems, berries)
Laburnum
Lady Slipper
Lambkill
Lantana (immature berries)
Larkspur
Laurel
Licorice Plant (Glycyrrhiza lepidata) - P
Lily of the Valley (including water in which grown)
Lima Bean (uncooked bean)
Lobelia
Locoweed
Lords and Ladies
Lupine (Lupinus; foilage, pods, seeds)
Machineel
Majesty (Philodendron hastatum) - O
Marble Queen (Scundapsus aureus) - O
Marijuana (leaves)
Mayapple (all parts except fruit)
Mescal Bean (seeds)
Milk Bush
Milkweed (foilage)
Mistletoe (Phoradendron flavescens; berries) - T
Moccasin Flower (foilage, flowers)
Mock Orange (fruit)
Monkshod (leaves, roots)
Morning Glory
Mountain Laurel (leaves, shoots)
Mushrooms (most)
Naked Lady
Narcissus (bulbs)
Natal Cherries (berries, foilage)
Nectarine (seeds)
Needlepoint Ivy (Hedera) - T
Nephthytis (Syngonium podophyllum albolineatum) - O
Nicotine Bush (foilage, flowers)
Night-blooming Jasmine
Nightshade (Solanium nigrum; berries, leaves) - T
Nutmeg
Oak (foilage, acorns)
Oleander (Nerium oleander; leaves, branches, nectar) - T
Opium Poppy
Pansy (Viola tricolor) - P
Parlor Ivy (Philodendron cordatum) - O
Parsley (Petrosilium sativum)
Peach (leaves, twigs, seeds)
Pear (seeds)
Pencil Cactus - D,T
Pennyroyal (foilage, flowers)
Peony (foilage, flowers)
Periwinkle
Peyote/Mescaline - T
Philodendron (leaves, stem)- O
Pine (needles, twigs, sap)
Pikeweed (leaves, roots, immature berries)
Plum (seeds and leaves)
Poinsetta (euphorbia pulcherrima; leaves, flowers) - D,T
Poison Hemlock (foilage, seeds)
Poison Ivy (sap)
Poison Oak (foilage, fruit, sap)
Poison Sumac (foilage, fruit, sap)
Pokeweed (Pokeberry; roots, fruit)
Poppy
Potato (all green parts)
Pothos (Scindapsus aureus) - O
PotMum (Chrysanthemum mortiforium) - D,T
Prayer Bean
Precor Bean
Privet (Ligustrum vicany or vulgare)
Pyracantha (Pyracanthea coccinea) - P
Rattlebox
Red princess (Philodendron hastatum) – O
Redwood (resinoids, leached wet wood)
Rhododendron (Rhododendron occidentale) - T
Rhubarb (leaf blades)
Ripple Ivy (Hedera helix) - T
Rosary Pea (seeds)
Rosemary (foliage of some species)
Russian Thistle (foliage, flowers)
Saddle Leaf (Philodendron selloum) – O
Sage (foliage of some species)
Sago Plant (Cycas revoluta) – P
Salmonberry (foliage, fruit)
Scarlet Pimpernel (foliage, flowers, fruit)
Schleffera
Scotch Broom (seeds)
Senecio
Sheep Laurel
Skunk Cabbage
Skyflowers
Snapdragon (foliage, flowers)
Snowdrop
Snow-on-the-mountain
Spanish Bayonet (foliage, flowers)
Spider Mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) - D,T
Spindle Bush (Euonymus alatus compacta)
Split Leaf Philodendron (Monstera deliciousa) - O
Sprengeri Fern (Asparagus densiflorus) - T, poss. D
Spurges (foliage, flowers, sap)
Star of Bethlehem (foliage, flowers)
String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus or herreianum) - D,T
Sudan Grass
Sundew (foliage)
Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus; seeds, fruit) - T
Tansy (foliage)
Taro (leaves, stem)
Tarweed (Amsinckia sp.; foilage, seeds)
Thornapple
Tiger Lily (foliage, flowers, seed pods)
Toad Lax (foliage)
Tobacco (leaves)
Tolquacha
Tomato (green parts)
Touch-me-not
Toyon Berry (berries)
Trillium (foliage)
Trumpet Vine
Umbrella Plant (Cyperus alternifolius) – T
Umbrella Tree (Schleffera)
Venus Flytrap
Verbena (foliage, flowers)
Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolio; sap)
Water Hemlock
Wax Plant (Hoya carnosa)
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina) - Poss. D
Wild Parsnip (roots, foliage)
Windsor Bean
Wisteria
Yam Bean (roots)
Yellow Oleander
Yellow Star Thistle (foliage, flowers)
Yew (Taxus media; needles)