Safe Wood
for Bird Cage Perches

ACACIA – Silk Tree would be in this group
APPLE – (Insecticide residue likely cause
for periodic issues)
AILANTHUS – Tree of Heaven
ALDER – white alder –
ALMOND
ARALIA – Fatsia japonica
ASH – Fraxinus
ASPEN – Populus
BAMBOO
BARBERRY- Berberis
BIRCH –
BEECH – Fagus
BOIS D’ARC – horse apple tree
BOTTLE BRUSH
BUTTERFLY BUSH
CAMELLIA
CITRUS –
(lime, kumquat, grapefruit, orange, lemon)
CORK –
(not wood from cork oak, but cork)
CORN PLANTS
COTTONWOOD – Populus
CRABAPPLE – Malus
CRAPE MYRTLE –
(not the same as myrtle)
DATE
DOGWOOD – Cornus
DOUGLAS FIR – Pseudotsuga
DRACAENA
ELM – Ulmus
ESCALLONIA
EUCALYPTUS
FIG
FIR – genus Abies
GINKGO
GRAPE VINES
GRAPE PALM
GUAVA
HACKBERRY
HAWTHORN – Crataegus
HIBISCUS
HICKORY
IRONWOOD – apparently toxic leaves
JADE PLANT
KALANCHOE
LARCH – Larix
LILAC – Syringa
MADRONA / MADRONE – Arbutus
MAGNOLIA
MAPLE – Acer
MANZANITA – Arctostaphylos
MESQUITE – remove sharp parts
MIMOSA
MOUNTAIN ASH – Sorbus
MULBERRY – Morus
NANDINA -common name is heavenly bamboo
NORFOLK ISLAND PINE – Araucaria
NUT TREES – exclude chestnut
ORANGE – several sources lean toward safe
OREGON GRAPE – Mahonia
PALM
PAPAYA
PEAR
PECAN
PINE – Pinus:
PHOTINIA
POPLAR – Populus
PUSSY WILLOW – Salix
RAPHIOLEPSIS – Indian Hawthorn
RIBBONWOOD
ROSE – Rosa
RUBBER PLANT – Ficus elastica – Weeping Fig in bad column
RUSSIAN OLIVE
SASSAFRAS
SILK TREE
SPIRAEA
SPRUCE – Picea
STAGHORN SUMAC –
STRAWBERRY TREE – Arbutus like Madrone
SWEET GUM
SYCAMORE
THURLOW
TREE FERN
VIBURNUM
VINE MAPLE – Acer
WEEPING WILLOW – Salix –
WIEGELA
YUCCA

Dangerous Wood
for Bird Cage Perches

 ALDER – red alder  
ANDROMEDA – Pieris, Lily of the Valley shrub
APRICOT
ARROWHEAD VINE
AUSTRALIAN FLAME TREE
AUSTRALIAN UMBRELLA TREE
AVACADO
AZALEA – Related to Rhododendron 
BANEBERRY – Actaea
BEANS -castor, horse, fava, broad, glory, scarlet runner
BLACK LOCUST – Robinia 
BOX ELDER
BOXWOOD – Buxus 
BUCKTHORN – Cascara / Alder Buckthorn – 
BRACKEN FERN
BURDOCK
CACAO
CAMEL BUSH – Trichodesma
CANARY BIRD BUSH – Crotalaria
CANNABIS
CASTOR BEAN
CEDAR – Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Cupressus
CHALICE – trumpet vine
CHERRY – see comments below 
CHINA BERRY TREE – Melia / Texas umbrella tree
CHINESE MAGNOLIA – uncertain for safety
CHINESE POPCORN / TALLOW
CHINESE SNAKE TREE – Laquer plant
COMMON SAGE
CORIANDER – Cilantro 
DATURA
DAPHNE – it’s the berries 
DATURA STRAMONIUM – Brugmansia – angel’s trumpet
DIEFFENBACHIA
ELDERBERRY
EUONYMUS – Includes burning bush and more 
EUPHORBIA
FELT PLANT – Kalancho baharensis
FLAME TREE
FIRETHORN – Pyracantha
FLAME TREE – Brachychiton / Sterculia
FOXGLOVE – Digitalis (pharmaceutical source)
GOLDEN CHAIN TREE – Laburnum 
GROUND CHERRY
CROWN OF THORNS
HEATHS
HEMLOCK – Tsuga 
HOLLY – Ilex 
HONEY LOCUST – Gleditsia
HORSE CHESTNUT – Aesculus
HUCKLEBERRY – leaves bad: evergreen & deciduous
HYDRANGEA
JASMINE
JUNIPER – Juniperus 
KALMIA: also called Mountain Laurel
KENTUCKY COFFEE TREE
LANTANA – red sage 
LAUREL – Prunus 
LEUCOTHOE
LUPINE
MANGO – (fruit okay: not wood or leaves)
MEXICAN BREADFRUIT
MOCK ORANGE – Philadelphus 
MONSTERA – big hunker of a house plant
MOUNTAIN LAUREL – Kalmia latifolia 
MYRTLE – broadleaf evergreen, not crape myrtle
NECTARINE
NUTMEG
OAK – Quercus – all parts / tannins
MISTLETOE
OLEANDER
PEACH
PEAR – some sources lean toward safe
PENCILTREE
PITCH PINE
PLUM
PRARIE OAK – safety uncertain 
PRIVET
RAIN TREE
RED MAPLE 
RED SAGE – Lantana 
REDWOOD – Sequiadendron, Metasequoia, Sequoia
RHODODENDRON
RHUBARB 
SAND BOX TREE – sap was used to poison fish
SOLANUM – Jerusalem cherry or pepino 
SOPHORA – includes Japanese pagoda tree
SUMAC – not all sumacs are bad
TOBACCO
TANSY 
TOMATO
UMBRELLA TREE
WALNUT
WEEPING FIG – Ficus benjamina > Ficus elastica safe
WHITE CEDAR – China
WITCH HAZEL – Hamamelis
WISTERIA
YEW – Taxus

written by mitch rezman
approved by catherine tobsing