Aviary Grasses

Many common weeds and seeding grasses form part of the diet of wild birds, and it's not surprising that aviary birds enjoy them too. As well as being excellent treats, fresh seeds and greens are very important for the happiness and wellbeing of breeding birds. So how do you know which ones are safe, and how do you identify them?

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)

Birds will eat the flowers, stems and leaves. However, a number of plants are similar to dandelion and you have to feed the correct one. The way to identify dandelion is that it has a yellow daisy flower on a single hollow stem. If the stem is branched with two or three flowers the plant is probably a weed called Cat's ear.

Summer grass (Digitaria sanguinalis)

Finches and budgies love summer grass, which grows in most areas of Australia in the warm months of the year. It has fine, widely branched spikelets almost like the framework of an umbrella. Sometimes called crabgrass, it spreads along the ground and roots at the stem nodes.

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Guinea grass grows to 1 metre (3') or more tall, and is probably the best of all the seeding grasses to feed to finches and budgies. It produces seed practically all year round, and although it's a little bit weedy it is easy to control.

Panic veldt grass (Ehrharta erecta)

Panic veldt grass will grow in the shade and it will also seed all year round.

Winter grass (Poa annua)

Capable of withstanding severe frost, this is a great winter treat for all of your birds. The light green leaves are fine textured with crimped blades. The seeds are small and flattened.

Chickweed (Stellaria media)

Chickweed is fabulous as a feed supplement. The leaves are small, light green and soft on scrambling stems. The tiny flowers are white.

Elvira Lavender grass (Eragrostis elongata 'Elvira')

Finches particularly love the native Elvira lavender grass. Look for this at a specialist native nursery. It is available, but will probably be hard to find.

Further reading

Auld, B.A. and Medd, R.W. (1986). Weeds: An Illustrated Botanical Guide to the Weeds of Australia. Inkata Press, rrp $95.00.

Copyright CTC Productions 1999