Can Birds Eat Chocolate?

Are you wondering if birds can eat chocolate? The quick answer is NO. Birds should never eat chocolate of any type.

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But WHY can’t birds eat chocolate?

Birds can’t eat chocolate for the same reason dogs can’t eat chocolate: theobromine.

Theobromine is a bitter alkaloid found in cacao, the plant from which chocolate is made. This relative of caffeine is deadly to birds.

Eating chocolate can cause vomiting, tremors, seizures, and even heart failure in birds. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is. Birds have a faster metabolism than mammals, so they are more susceptible to the effects of these stimulants.

But, you may wonder, as we did, what about birds that live in Central and South America where cacao grows wild? What do they do?

According to the Field Museum:

“Animals that live near cacao trees, like monkeys, rodents, and birds, enjoy noshing on the sweet pulp that’s inside cacao pods and around the seeds (people find the pulp tasty, too; it’s sweet and tangy). But animals that eat the pulp will spit out the strong-tasting seeds, spreading them around the rainforest floor and allowing new trees to take root.”

So there you have it: the bitterness of the cacao seeds not only saves the life of the birds and animals that might otherwise ingest it–but it also ensures the planting of seeds in the process!

Other Toxic Foods You Should Never Feed Birds

We love adding some kitchen foods to our bird feeder as occasional snacks for the birds, but it’s important to know what not to feed wild birds, too!

Never feed birds:

Alcohol
Apple seeds
Apricot pits
Avocados
Cherry pits
Chives
Chocolate
Coffee (and other caffeinated drinks)
Desiccated Coconut
Garlic
Leeks
Onions
Peach pits
Plum pits
Scallions and Shallots
Tea
Xylitol
Uncooked beans
Uncooked potatoes and potato peels

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Paris Permenter and John Bigley

Paris Permenter and John Bigley are the authors of 35 pet and travel books. The husband-wife team of professional writers live in a bird preserve near Austin, Texas.

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