(updated 10-24-00)

The following information is made available by list member
Pat Z. at Feathers & Fun, Cockatoos@yahoogroups.com          
Conures@yahoogroups.com & conurepictures@yahoogroups.com

Wash all wood in a bleach solution, rinse then for small branches bake in oven at 250 for about 1 hour and for large branches wash, rinse and dry in direct sun.

Acacia, Almond, Apple, Arbutus, Ash, Aspen,

Bamboo, Beech, Birch, Bois d'arc (*see note below),

Citrus, Cork Oak (*see note below), Cottonwood, ,

Dogwood,

Elm, Eucalyptus (*see note below),

Fig Species, Fir, Fruitless Mulbery,

Ginkgo, Grape Vines, Grape Palm, Guava,

Hackberry, Hawthorn, Hazelnut, Hibiscus, Hickory, Horse Apple (*see note below),

Ironwood,

Larch, Lilac, Liquidamber,

Madrona, Magnolia, Manzanita, Maple, Mediterranean Laurel, Mesquite (remove thorns), Mimosa, Mulberry,

Norfolk Island Pine, Nut (except Chestnut & Oak),

Oak (wood only, no bark or leaves), (*see note below),

Palm, Papaya,  Pear, Pecan, Pine,  Poplar,

Ribbonwood, Rose,

Sassafras, Sequoia (redwood) (*see note below), Spruce, Sweet Gum, Sycamore,

Thurlow , Tree fern,

Umbrella tree,

Vine Maple,

Walnut, Willow (Goat, Pussy & Weeping)

A couple of woods appear on safe lists that shouldn't or should be noted that there are problems with some species. Redwood has long been associated with rashes and the dust with lung and eye disorders. It contains high levels of volatile oils that are known toxins. Further exposure is believed to suppress the immune system.

Please note that woods NOT to use are:

Apricot (*see note below)
Cherry (*see note below)
Crabapple
Nectarine (*see note below)
Peach (*see note below)
Plum (*see note below),
Prune (*see note below),

 

Box Elder Wood: UNSAFE

Crepe Myrtle: UNSAFE

Chinese Popcorn/Chinese Tallow: UNSAFE

Hemlock: UNSAFE (see note below)

Sumac: UNSAFE (aka Rhus/Toxicodendron)

Gillian Willis on his website says "Do not use apricot, cherry, peach, prune, plum or nectarine. These trees all belong to the Prunus species. They contain cyanogenic glycosides which release cyanide if ingested.

There is some disagreement over whether cherry, oak and eucalyptus are toxic. However the wood should be safe but avoid the leaves and seeds and in the case of oak and cherry the bark as well. (Safety on Cherry is questionable)

London Tree is in the sycamore family, and is currently under research.

Do not give the birds redwood. The oils the wood contains are toxic. But the biggest problem is if they get a splinter, redwood tends to block the immune response and they become infected quite easily. Oak appears on a number of toxic lists, primarily because of the tannin in the leaves and acorns. In the writer’s opinion this is totally unjustified, the wood should be perfectly fine as it is not generally eaten and contains little tannin in most species.

Cork Oak - (again avoid foliage and acorns) the bark of cork oak is safe for consumption even by humans whose tolerance for tannin is much lower than most bird species.

Cork Oak is a safe wood to leave the bark on. Cork oak has very low levels of tannin (far lower then other oaks) and the bark is just what the name says 'Cork" Cork Oak is originally from southern Europe and is the source of all natural cork. The bark is very thick and well, cork like. It can be found wherever there are old wine growing areas as it was grown to provide corks for the bottles. It is also found scattered around the southeastern US and California. Because of it's very low tannin content it is safe for use in food storage (the cork in the wine bottle, oil bottles, etc.) There is a similar species found native to North America, the Prairie Oak a variety of live oak is found throughout the great plains and east to Ohio. It has a very thick cork like bark, however I do not know what the safety factor for this species would be. Information on the composition of woods and related materials can be found in a number of publications, I don't remember the names off hand, but any university that has a good botany or agronomy department, or your university agricultural extension service should be able to direct you to the appropiate references. When I was researching the safe woods for our birds the Calif State University Fresno Agricultural Dept was more than helpful, completely willing to answer any questions I had and to help me find the references. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Eucalyptus - while it appears on many toxic lists I have never been able to find a good reason for it being there. The level of phenols (the toxic elements in eucalyptus) is lower than in many pine species which are considered perfectly safe. While you might want to avoid the foliage there doesn't appear to be any reason to do so. Considering that many lorikeet and cockatoo species eat the flowers and new leaves in the wild, and that it is the dominant native wood for Australia concern over it's toxicity seems exaggerated. Among the people I have discussed this with who feel it is a completely safe plant are Dick Schroeder, Dale Thompson, Gene Hall, Bryce Evans (all large breeders), Sue Lynch DVM, Daphne Hill DVM, and Christine McFadden DVM (AAV certified) as well as Ron Marhenke a chemist at CSUF (who also feels concerns about oak are over blown). faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Oak (except Tan Oak which should be avoided because of the VERY high tannin content) though there is some controversy about Oak it appears that the wood should be safe. the bark leaves and especially the acorns have much higher levels of tannins and should be avoided. While many bird species including many parrots regularly feed on nuts and vegetation that have levels of tannin much higher than oaks, it is unclear how their bodies deal with the substance and it is therefore probably advisable to avoid high doses. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Cherry - this one is really controversial. there are confirmed cases of dogs and of horses having fatal reactions to eating cherry wood. However I have been unable to find any confirmed report of bird fatalities. Regardless the sap is what contains the toxic elements (see Gillians Help pages) and that is contained primarily in the Cambium, a layer of material just below the bark. If cherry is to be used it should be dry, debarked and any traces of sap removed. Under no circumstances should fresh cherry, the foliage or bark be given to birds. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Ginkgo - While the female Ginkgo may have an unpleasant smell the wood, bark and foliage all appear to be safe. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Hemlock - The wood that is sold in lumber yards (sometimes called Hem Fir) is safe but the foliage is toxic. No other species of hemlock should be considered safe. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Alder - The wood appears to be safe, but I have not been able to confirm this. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Chinese Magnolia - The wood, foliage and flowers all appear to be safe, but I have been unable to confirm this. According to CSUF biologist and agronomists they could see no reason to consider it dangerous (it is not a known toxic plant) but know of no reason to consider it completely safe either. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Cedar occasionally appears on safe lists. If Cedar is to be used, Red cedar should be avoided for the same reasons as redwood. Yellow and Sitka Cedar may be safe though. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Laurel appears on most toxic lists. Most Laurel species are toxic but the Medeteriianian Laurel is safe. Distinguishing the species can be difficult though and unless the species is known absolutely it should be avoided. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

One plant that deserves mention as it occasionally appears in gardens as an exotic ornamental is the Chinese Snake Tree. This is a VERY TOXIC plant and even contact with the sap (through the skin) can present the risk of fatality to small animals and children. It is sometimes called the Lacquer plant because it was the source of lacquer. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)

Also to be avoided is the Pitch Pine. It was the source material for turpentine and has VERY high levels of phenols. Contact with the wood can cause rashes and the fumes from burning it have been known to cause lung and eye disorders. faw@ix.netcom.com (Frederick Wilson)