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I've heard they are bad for birds. Is this true?

Parsley: is a particularly nutritious green plant but for whatever reason, it has long been suspected of being poisonous to birds. Parsley is not toxic to birds and can be fed in moderation without any problem. It is a good source of iron, beta carotene and vitamins B1, B2 and C. Parsley contains most of the amino acids that are the "building blocks" of protein. Medicinal benefits: Parsley is useful as a blood purifier. It detoxifies harmful contaminants, promotes healthy skin and feathers, tones the digestive system, prevents kidney ailments and treats arthritis. It also acts as a natural antibiotic.

Information CCP'ed from
http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww50eiii.htm

I haven't heard of either one being bad... Parsley is on the safe list, as is cilantro, but you don't really hear much of people feeding cilantro, except maybe at sites such as Land of Vos.

My birds love cilantro. I don't feed it very often, but when I do, they devour it. I've seen it listed in bird books as being good for them.

-Maija with Connor (starling), Lady Gwen & Yadira ('tiels)

Type "cilantro" and "chelation" into Google and you will get all kinds of hits. There's a lot of anecdotal "evidence" claiming that cilantro will detoxify the body of heavy metals like lead and mercury. You can even buy products at "health" food sites that contain cilantro extract intended for that purpose. Actual scientific evidence to support this claim seems to be lacking, but it can't hurt and it might help. I find it difficult to cook without cilantro, which I was doing long before I found out that cilantro was healthy, and both my blue-fronts love to sample my low-sodium high-cilantro food. Of course, with all the habanero peppers that I put in, maybe they don't notice the cilantro.