Herbs are one of the easiest ways to make a bowl of fresh food a little more interesting.
A few fresh leaves, a whole sprig or a sprinkle of dried herbs can change the smell and texture of a meal without changing everything that's familiar underneath. Dried flowers and botanicals are also brilliant for adding another layer to foraging toys and trays.
There are plenty of safe herbs, spices and edible flowers birds can enjoy. The important part is choosing the right ones, keeping them plain and offering them in sensible amounts.
Here are 19 safe herbs, spices and flowers for birds, plus how we'd use them.
Just looking for the list? Jump straight to Safe Herbs and Spices, Safe Flowers and Botanicals or How to Use Them.
How to Use Herbs and Spices for Birds
Fresh and dried are both useful. Fresh herbs can be chopped through vegetables, offered as whole sprigs or clipped somewhere your bird can investigate them. Plain dried herbs and flowers are easy to keep on hand and particularly useful for foraging.
You don't need much. Herbs, spices and flowers are additions rather than a major part of the diet. A few leaves or a small sprinkle through fresh food is plenty.
Try one new thing at a time. If your bird has never seen Basil, Dill or Calendula before, offer it without adding another five unfamiliar ingredients at the same time. It makes it much easier to work out what actually got their attention.
Use them for foraging. Dried flowers and herbs can be scattered through shreddable material, tucked into a foraging toy or sprinkled over a foraging mat. The Raw for Birds Floral Pinecone Chews, for example, combine Calendula, Rose Petals, Chamomile and Lavender with a natural pinecone to give birds plenty to pick through and investigate.
Grow a few yourself. Herbs such as Parsley, Coriander, Basil, Dill and Thyme are easy to keep in pots around Brisbane, giving you something fresh to snip off when you need it.
Safe Herbs and Spices for Birds
Basil
Basil can be offered fresh as whole leaves or chopped through fresh food. Its strong smell makes it an interesting one to try with birds that tend to ignore plain leafy greens.
Ceylon Cinnamon Quills
Plain Ceylon Cinnamon quills can be offered in small amounts for birds to investigate, chew and shred. We prefer the whole quill rather than ground Cinnamon, which can easily turn into airborne powder.
Coriander
Coriander can be offered fresh, leaves and stems together, either chopped through fresh food or handed over as a whole sprig. Divisive with birds, much like it is with people.
Dill
Dill can be offered fresh or dried. The fine fronds are easy for birds to pick through and mix nicely through chopped vegetables.
Fennel
Fresh Fennel fronds can be offered as they are, while the bulb and stalk can be chopped through fresh food. It has a distinctive smell and gives birds another flavour and texture to investigate.
Lemon Balm
Lemon Balm can be offered fresh or dried. Fresh leaves can be added whole or torn through a bowl of vegetables, while dried Lemon Balm works well mixed through foraging material.
Oregano
Oregano can be offered fresh or dried. Fresh leaves can be mixed through vegetables or offered on the stem, while a small amount of dried Oregano is easy to sprinkle through food.
Parsley
Parsley can be offered fresh as whole sprigs or chopped through fresh food. Leaves and stems can both be included.
Peppermint
Peppermint can be offered fresh or dried. The strong aroma means even a small amount can make a familiar bowl smell completely different.
Sage
Sage can be offered fresh or dried. Fresh Sage leaves have a soft, slightly fuzzy texture that gives birds something different to tear and investigate.
Thyme
Thyme can be offered fresh as small sprigs or dried and sprinkled through food. The tiny leaves make it particularly easy to mix through chopped vegetables.
Safe Flowers and Botanicals for Birds
Dried flowers and botanicals are particularly useful for foraging. They can be scattered through toys and mats, mixed with shreddable material or added in small amounts to fresh food.
Calendula
Calendula petals can be offered fresh or dried. The bright yellow and orange petals are easy to scatter through food or foraging material and add plenty of colour.
Chamomile
Chamomile flowers can be offered dried, either whole or lightly crumbled through foraging material. Their small size also makes them easy to tuck into toys and other places a bird has to search.
Dandelion Root and Leaf
Dandelion leaves can be offered fresh or dried, while dried root can be added to a foraging mix. If you're collecting Dandelion yourself, only use plants from somewhere you know hasn't been sprayed or treated.
Hibiscus
Hibiscus flowers can be offered fresh or dried. The large petals give birds something colourful to investigate, pull apart and shred.
Lavender
Dried Lavender flowers can be offered in small amounts through foraging material. It's very aromatic, so you really don't need much.
Raspberry Leaf
Dried Raspberry Leaf can be sprinkled through fresh food or mixed with other herbs and flowers for foraging.
Rose Hip
Dried Rose Hips can be offered whole or broken into smaller pieces depending on the size of your bird. Their firmer texture gives birds something to pick at and work on.
Rose Petals
Rose Petals can be offered fresh or dried. Garden roses are fine only when you know exactly what has been used on them. Florist roses aren't something we'd offer.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Choose food-grade ingredients. Herbs and flowers should be intended for human consumption or specifically produced for birds to eat. Avoid potpourri, craft flowers, florist flowers and anything treated with fragrance, colour or unknown chemicals.
Skip loose powders. Fine spice powders can become airborne very easily. Fresh herbs, leaves, flowers, whole spices and coarser dried ingredients are much easier to offer without creating clouds of dust.
Know where garden plants came from. Something growing in a backyard, park or on a verge may have been sprayed with herbicide, pesticide or another treatment. If you don't know what's been used on it, leave it where it is.
Keep the spice blends for yourself. Seasoning mixes can contain salt, sugar, onion, garlic, flavourings and other ingredients that aren't suitable for birds. Stick with plain, single-ingredient herbs and spices.
Essential oils aren't the same thing. An essential oil, tincture or concentrated herbal extract is very different from offering a leaf, flower or sprig. Don't treat concentrated products as interchangeable with the plant itself.
Don't turn herbs into medicine. There are plenty of claims online about particular herbs treating anxiety, digestion, liver problems, immunity and just about everything else. That's not why we're offering them. For us, herbs and flowers are about variety, smell, texture, fresh food and foraging. If you're trying to manage a health problem, that's a conversation for your avian vet.
For more ideas on what you can offer, see our guide to safe vegetables for birds, guide to safe fruit and our complete list of 200 safe and toxic foods for pet birds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What herbs can birds eat?
Birds can enjoy a range of plain culinary herbs including Basil, Coriander, Dill, Fennel, Lemon Balm, Oregano, Parsley, Peppermint, Sage and Thyme. Fresh or dried can both be offered in small amounts.
Can birds eat fresh herbs from the garden?
Yes, provided you've correctly identified the plant and know it hasn't been treated with pesticides, herbicides or other garden chemicals. Wash fresh herbs before offering them.
Can birds eat dried herbs and flowers?
Yes. Dried herbs and edible flowers are particularly handy for mixing through food, foraging toys and foraging mats. Choose plain food-grade products or products made specifically for birds rather than flowers sold for craft, fragrance or potpourri use.
Can birds have ground spices?
We prefer not to use fine spice powders. They become airborne easily and can create unnecessary dust around a bird. Whole spices, fresh herbs and coarser dried ingredients are much easier to work with.
How much herb can I give my bird?
You don't need much. A few fresh leaves or a small sprinkle of dried herbs or flowers is plenty. They're there to add variety and interest rather than make up a large portion of the diet.
Can birds eat Chilli?
Yes. Birds don't experience the heat from Chilli in the same way mammals do, so fresh Chilli can be offered as part of a varied fresh-food diet. Our vegetable guide covers Chilli and other vegetables in more detail.
Can I give my bird herbal tea?
Herbal teas are more complicated than offering a known herb by itself because blends can contain multiple ingredients. We wouldn't assume a tea is suitable just because the front of the box says Chamomile, Peppermint or another familiar herb. Check every ingredient first.
Which herbs are easiest to grow for birds?
Parsley, Coriander, Basil, Dill and Thyme are good places to start. They grow well in pots, they're easy to snip as you need them and any leftovers can go into your own cooking.
